


Beyond The Stars

by adelcrait



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Crack Treated Seriously, Father-Son Relationship, Father/Son banter, Gen, International "Save Luke Skywalker from doing dangerous things" Day is everyday for Vader, Luke and Vader are on good terms, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Protective Darth Vader, They argue like siblings, They do super normal things and everyone around is Terrified, Vader is a Nerd, and Luke loves his father
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-24
Updated: 2020-06-17
Packaged: 2021-03-01 03:42:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 34,544
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23228812
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adelcrait/pseuds/adelcrait
Summary: After a succesful mission in destroying an imperial weapon factory, Luke Skywalker is captured. Darth Vader, upon sensing his son calling to him, must now again face the small fury of the boy who, after knowing each other for six years, is still unimpressed by him. Also known as "Father and son bicker like children in empty corridors, fix ships and communicate" while Luke discovers that there is so much he still doesn't know about Anakin Skywalker. Han Solo gets dragged along, and he's NOT happy about it.
Relationships: Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Luke Skywalker & Han Solo
Comments: 101
Kudos: 340





	1. Disconnected

The building slowly collapsed, eclipsed by dozens of ships escaping the bombing. Luke hated watching the collapse, even if he knew there were no people inside, buta part of him stung at how violent some the missions were. The fact that the Executor was hovering near the system they were in didn't help _at all_. 

He took his gloves off and rubbed his fingers to ease the tension that came with sending the fatal shot. “Prepare to jump to hyperspace. The job's done guys.” he said melancholically. He wanted to get out of there as fast as possible, and he simply refused to watch the work of millions of slaves get destroyed by his own hand.

It was for a cause, he repeated to himself, the Empire was not any better. He watched as twenty X-Wings disappeared and introduced the coordinates to jump to hyperspace with shaky hands. He looked at them, and then saw that his legs were equally shaking. Something inside him was screaming to get out of there, _now._

“We need to leave!” he shouted.

A pilot spoke. “Yeah, what’s wr–”

The voice was interrupted by an explosion and Luke's heart skipped a few beats. No matter how many times he had experienced this same image, it still brought him pain. Luke turned the ship around and saw dozens of TIE fighters approaching his small fleet, and he panicked.

“Escape!” he shouted, “The second you’re out of sight, jump into hyperspace and inform High Command of the attack.”

“But–”

Another explosion. “Go! _Now_!”

Luke flew right past the barricade of TIEs that were approaching the planet with inhuman agility, and for a moment he thought that his father might be watching him from the Executor. But he wasn't, he couldn’t be, because his father would rather chop off his own legs than see Luke in any danger.

Luke felt a shiver run down his spine, because without his most proficient bodyguard, not even infiltrated in the Empire because his father _was_ the Empire, Luke was panicking.

They had to get out of there.

He avoided getting shot as he flew straight to the Executor, flying below it. The canons fired at him, and he barely managed to avoid the blasts. He only had to fly past the Executor and deep into space; the battle was behind him, not ahead, then he would jump to hyperspace and pray that Vader hadn’t noticed him.

“The path under the Executor is clear. Follow me.”

When he was about to put distance between the Executor and him, he heard a loud mechanical noise. He checked the console anxiously and Luke saw that his engines had stopped working and he was being dragged upwards. In the few minutes that the dragging lasted, he saw several X-Wings falling into the same trap.

Shutting his eyes, Luke sent a prayer to the Force that his Father _was_ indeed on board, and not away terrorizing civilians.

* * *

**  
TWO DAYS LATER  
  
**

Darth Vader was, against all expectations, covered in oil.

He was head deep in an old scrambled ship that looked like it was pieced together with glue. Staring at the stars had grown pointless to him, and his schedule was empty for the next four days.

He decided to fix a ship and told Admiral Piett that he was only to be contacted if the Emperor died, but the man just blinked at the poor attempt of banter and left Vader to his own devices. 

Vader's commlink beeped on the other side of the room and he groaned loudly, the noise echoing across the hangar. Without changing his position, half of his body deep inside the ship, he used the Force to pull the commlink to him.

“What is it, Admiral?” 

Piett shivered. “Lord Vader, my apologies for the interruption. There has been a bombing.”

Vader dropped a screwdriver. A bombing? His hangar wasn't sound proof, so he would have heard the bombing, or at least he would have noticed lives disappearing in the Force. “Where exactly, Admiral?”

“The imperial weapons factory of the Phaeda system, my Lord. We left hyperspace fifteen minutes ago. I am staring at the remains.”

Vader blinked, trying to remember the last rebel activity he was engaged in. To Vader's dismay, he realised that the Rebellion was targeting very specific systems.

“The personnel had been evacuated beforehand. This was not a terror attack but an attempt to destabilize the Empire's main weaponry provider.” explained Vader, and Piett knew better than to question Vader's mystical knowledge.

“If you say so, my Lord. I am informing you that a small part of the fleet has been captured before we could fully engage. The Commander of the operation is currently awaiting interrogation. Do you wish to proceed with it yourself, sir?”

Vader blinked. They had rebel interrogations every week, he didn’t see how this one was any different. “There will be no need for that,” he said icily, conveying his irritation at being disturbed, “but I want every extracted intel sent to me. The Emperor will not be pleased if any information were to be leaked.”

“Very well, my Lord.”

Vader threw the commlink to the other side of the hangar. They had bombings and attacks every few weeks, Piett shouldn't have contacted him for this. He called a power source to his hand and buried himself deeper into the ship.

After three days of peace and solitude, Vader had to leave his hangar because his commlink was beeping every five minutes. The incompetents couldn't even organize themselves for a few rotations without him.

He was talking to an officer he wasn’t paying attention to, something about Palpatine's plans to engage _negotiations_ on the Outer Rim, which translated as invasion. Vader didn't care about any of it, he had stopped caring six years ago after he discovered there was more for him in the galaxy than executing Palpatine's orders.

He crossed his arms and started tapping his boot on the floor, signalling the officer to end his briefing soon. The officer talked about operations in the Inner Rim and in the Colonies which had nothing to do with him. Despite what his son thought, he wasn't the _entire_ Empire.

It was then that Vader felt a sharp tug through the Force, like a punch in the stomach. The Force was screaming at him to look the other way.

_Fa–_

Vader flinched and instinctively pushed the officer in front of him to the floor. He didn't notice how he stood up and ran from him. In fact, he wasn't paying any attention to anything but the voice inside his head.

_Father–_

_Luke?_ His force-presence was dim and barely alive, and Vader's heart accelerated. He reached out into the Force but couldn't locate him, but if they could communicate through their bond that meant Luke _had_ to be in the system.

 _Where are you?_ asked Vader, eyes darting over the crowded bridge, as if his son could appear any moment with a frown and say that he should stop terrorizing officers.

_Here–_

_Son, where is here?_ he sent, exasperated.

_The Execut–_

Vader fled the bridge, clinging to the small light coming from his son. He didn't understand why Luke was on his flagship and why he wasn't aware that there was a rebel commander aboard. He should know this, he was first in command to–

_Oh._

The remaining lieutenants ran the other way as soon as they heard his breathing. Unaware of anything else than Luke's presence, Vader clenched his fists with enough strength to break his prosthetics. He had to concentrate, but the guilt that he couldn't keep Luke safe even in his own ship was eating him alive.

Luke's presence in the Force was a small flickering thing. He reached a corridor where Luke's presence was and froze when he saw a body lying on the floor at the end of it. His thoughts became clouded with anger and fear, but none of them mattered because as he sprinted to the body he felt his peripheral vision darkening from the lack of oxygen. From his position he saw that the body was wearing an issued imperial uniform, but prisoners sometimes were given one if their clothes had been destroyed by electr–

The lights above him snapped.

It wasn't Luke.

Vader looked around, unsure where to go next, because Luke was supposed to be here, unless Sidious had discovered that Luke was his son, had captured him and had done something and Luke was– 

Vader was shaking.

He saw an open cell and ignited his lightsaber instinctively, walking in, ready for attack.

The room was dark and stunk from odours Vader couldn't place. He reached out into the Force again, careful with his shielding now that he suspected Sidious could be involved, but he bumped into something.

Luke's presence was right in front of him, beating slowly but steadily.

Vader touched it carefully as if it was made of glass, as if his own presence could shatter his son's life to pieces, but Luke didn't answer. With a flick of the wrist Vader commanded the wires to turn on the lights, but nothing happened.

The room was in complete darkness that even his night vision couldn't see through. He frowned and tried again, but someone got ahead of him.

Once his dizziness at the brightness of the lights had faded, he saw another body by his feet. It was an officer he didn't recognise, who was laying awkwardly in a fetal position, his head turned around in an unnatural way. Vader recognised this type of death: someone had snapped his neck! Vader started thinking that perhaps Luke wasn't here at all, that some prisoner escaped and managed to leave a trail of bodies behind, but then, where was he?

“Hmh.” 

Vader turned around at the mumbled sound and saw his son sitting on the floor, back against the wall, gaze lost on the ceiling. He looked beaten up, his lips torn and face bruised. His hair stuck to his face and his white jumpsuit was now brown from dirt and dried patches of blood. If their bond hadn't sprung to life once his eyes landed on him, Vader wouldn't have recognised him. He should send for a medical droid immediately, but something was off. His son looked physically injured, but that didn't excuse his near non-existent presence in the Force. _Was he–_

Force, was he _shielding?_

Vader deactivated his lightsaber and kneeled in front of Luke. He looked like he was drugged, his eyes slowly following the patterns of the squared walls. When he sensed movement in front of him, his eyes retreated to trace the pattern of Vader's mask.

“Luke?” whispered Vader. He caressed his son's cheek, wiping away the dirt and putting the longest strands of hair behind his ear. He looked so small.

Luke swallowed. “Took you long enough...” he whispered, his voice monotone and in trance. 

“Can you move?” asked Vader urgently. 

Luke shook his head slowly. Vader clenched his fists, he would kill whoever was responsible for th–

“They're dead,” whispered Luke, “Over ther-”

 _Oh._ Vader didn’t know whether to feel proud or concerned at how easily Luke had killed in his current state. Force, he didn't even know for long he's been there. “I'm taking you to my personal medbay, son. You are injured.”

Luke's gaze was still fixed on the wall behind Vader. He picked him up carefully, and Luke clung to his father's shoulder, gaze fixed on the ground. “How you going to explain to your sup–,” he hiccuped, “superiors that you rescued a rebel prisoner, hm?” he asked tiredly.

Vader snorted. “I have no superiors son,” he said, “Now, how are _you_ going to explain that I am carrying you around like a child?”

Luke's eyes widened. “No no no, no one sees me...” he mumbled and clumsily pointed a finger at Vader's chest, “You make sure of it, but please don't kill anyb-”

“I will not. Now, rest.”

Luke's eyes closed and his head fell back, and Vader held it carefully with his free hand. These were not the conditions he had hoped to see Luke in when they met again.

His son looked like he had been attacked by a bantha, then swallowed by a sarlacc and then put in prison. Prison!

The thought of Luke laying beneath an IT-O unit boiled his own blood to evaporation. He would keep him safe, even if that meant tearing his commlink apart and disappearing forever.

Piett could manage.


	2. The String

Luke felt like he was floating inside a thin coat of warm water. His body felt sticky and he could hear someone breathing loudly next to him, and the sound of the regular breathing was nice and welcoming, even if he didn't recognise it.

The feeling of his body floating and the lullaby of the laboured breathing soothed him, and he wanted to remain there forever. But in the back of his mind he _knew_ he didn't belong there, that he needed to go back somewhere else.

Something urgent pulled at him and urged him to wake up. He didn't resist the tug, even if his body ached at the loss of the warm water. He tried opening his eyes but the bright lights made them water, so he decided to keep them close until he figured out where he was.

Luke noticed that the loud breathing had stopped, and when he could finally open his eyes, he saw a dark shadow he now recognised as his father sitting next to his bed.

He groaned. “What happened?” He tried to sit on the bed and lean against the wall to face his father properly, but his muscles ached. Vader was watching Luke's every muscle twitch like a hawk, wanting nothing more than to cradle him like a toddler and stay there until he recovered. 

“You received substantial injuries, son. You are still healing.”

Luke rubbed his face to ease the pain and then sat on the bed, ignoring his sticky skin covered in bacta. Vader flinched when Luke hissed in pain, but Luke just waved a hand at him. “I think I was drugged.”

“I have been made aware of that.” said Vader through clenched teeth, and Luke understood what was said between the lines.

“Is he dead?” he asked.

Vader sat incredibly still. “Yes.”

Luke clenched his jaw. “Father, we have talked about this. I don't want you killing people because of me!”

“I did not–” protested Vader, and then stopped. “I did not kill that officer, son. When I arrived he was already dead.”

Luke opened and closed his mouth like a fish. “W– I'm sorry, what?”

Vader nodded slowly. “It appears you used the Force to...” said Vader, and then thought of an euphemism for strangle to death, “...deprive them of their lives, that is.” 

Luke froze. “I couldn't have...I don't even know how to do that!” he exclaimed. Vader reached out his hand and Luke took it, and Vader started rubbing slow circles on his inner wrist to comfort him. 

“Luke, I have seen the footage. Your act was in self-defense. They could have killed you, so you must have sensed it through the Force.”

“I was drugged–!” protested Luke.

“Drugs do not lessen your connection to the Force.” said Vader softly.

“But I—“ whimpered Luke, “Can I see the footage? Please.”

Vader shook his head. “I erased it.”

Luke sighed and wanted to protest further, but he understood why Vader did it. There couldn't have been any traces of a force-sensitive blond boy in the Rebellion. Let alone a force-sensitive boy who had killed two officers in a semi-conscious state without even touching them. _And_ if that wasn't enough, a boy rescued by Darth Vader.

Sidious would have a field day.

“Wait, but...isn't strangling a dark side ability?” whispered Luke, terrified.

Vader sat straighter, clearly uncomfortable. “Yes, but you were under threat and unaware of your actions. Occurrences like this, while uncommon, can happen.”

“How do you know?” asked Luke suspiciously.

Vader didn't like dwelling on his past, but when it came to Luke, he could. “Years before you were born I was sent on a mission. My Master was under attack and unable to defend himself, and after some struggling I touched the dark side to save him. I was scolded for it afterwards, but it worked. He survived.”

Sadly.

Luke nodded. He knew that the moments when his father spoke about his past were rare, and he cherished them endlessly. Sometimes he wished that the war ended and they could sit down and simply _talk._

Like father and son, like family.

Like two people that had known each other for years, yet only saw each other when either one of them (usually Luke) was nearly dead. He understood that there wasn't anything remotely _normal_ about their small family of two, but when he was a child he never wished for normality, he wished for a father.

Vader touched his mind softly, pulling him out of his thoughts. “You should not question the ways of the Force, son. Let alone how you use it or why you use it.”

Luke smiled. “Aren't you the one who keeps bragging about how better the dark side is, though?”

“I do not _brag,_ son.”

Luke clicked his tongue and waved a hand. “Dark side propaganda...” he said sardonically. He felt a shiver down his spine and attributed it to his injuries, but then the room felt cold and he looked at his father, who had stood up and was now staring at him. 

Vader crossed his arms. “Speaking of propaganda, Commander Skywalker. You are responsible for the bombing of a substantial imperial factory, what do you have to say for yourself?”

Oh, not now.

Luke shut his eyes. “I already gave enough information about that, Lord Vader,” said Luke in his formal voice, and suppressed a smile at the pure annoyance radiating from his father at the mention of his imperial title, “I am sure that you understand the importance of–”

“Do not lecture me on rebel propaganda, Luke _._ ” said Vader, pointing a finger at him. “Your bombing has caused a significant setback on military operations of importance.”

Luke shivered. Vader had never crossed the implicit line they had of not mixing their familial relationship with their duties, but he knew it was inevitable. Luke knew his father wouldn't hurt him, but he couldn’t answer for Darth Vader's actions. Especially if said Darth Vader was _pissed_ because your fleet had destroyed something he was interested in. 

“...but you will be happy to know that no man was harmed.”

Luke nodded. “I know. The staff was evacuated when–”

Vader interrupted him. “A false alarm was given, but with enough time for the civilians to reach a safe place. I have read the report. Your plan was very clever, I am impressed.”

Luke avoided eye contact. He hated discussing this with him, but then something tingled in his belly. “Wait a minute, why have _you_ received the report? I was told my interrogation wasn't ordered from above.”

Vader turned his mask down to look at the floor. He didn’t answer. He had spent the last days monitoring Luke's recovery, and he drowned in guilt each time he saw a bruise.

Luke's eyes widened. “No...” he threw his head back and fell to the bed, “Not again...”

“I was told some rebel fleet was captured, _you_ were hiding your Force-presence from me! Had I _known–_ ” said Vader and Luke rolled his eyes and sighed.

“Oh, don't start–!”

“You wouldn't have been hurt. It is my fault.” said Vader.

Luke shook his head in disbelief. “I still find it hard to adjust to this...” he said, pointing a finger between his father and him, “It gets ridiculous sometimes.”

“What does?” asked Vader.

“That you're my father and I am a Commander of the Alliance. This sounds like those old stories from the Dune Sea that didn't make any sense because they were too ridiculous.”

Vader clenched his jaw, an empty hole opening inside his chest. “Things are hardly the way one wants them to be, Luke. You have to learn that if you want to avoid disappointment.”

Luke frowned. “That's oddly specific advice, father.” He said the word just to ground what was left of Anakin Skywalker inside the black suit, because he couldn’t nor wanted to deal with Darth Vader right now.

“But it is the truth. In life you will hardly have everything you wish for, so you must appreciate what you have because nothing is permanent. Nothing but the Force, and you must learn to trust it. Defend yourself with it. It does not matter which side you use.”

Luke nodded slowly, gaze falling to the white sheets. He took a deep breath and enjoyed the silence of the room, only interrupted by the sound of Vader's breathing.

The distinguishable sound of Darth Vader’s breathing would freeze anyone to death, and Luke wouldn’t blame them. He was perfectly aware of his father's position within the Empire.

Luke didn't agree with his methods, and over the last couple years he had reduced the number of deaths aboard the Executor by just talking to him. Not talking, of course— communicating through the Force whenever he felt his father's impatience spike lethally.

It was the least he could do. 

Or maybe not.

If anyone in the Alliance discovered that he was not only related to the Empire's second in command, but could also communicate with him, they would milk him down for information.

Luke walked a thin line of indecision: knowing that the secrets of the Empire laid within his own mind, starting at the small string that attached him to his father and that with only one tug he could know Darth Vader's approximate location. To the Alliance, knowing that the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet wasn’t in the system would be of considerable help.

Yet he never told them.

On the other side of that line was his desire to be close to his father, even if their duties made that impossible. Luke had invented endless excuses as to why he returned from imperial custody without a scratch when all his team was tortured, even if it pained him watching his friends be imprisoned and not being able to do anything about it.

Luke was also sure that if his connection to Vader was revealed, there would be other lives at stake. An entire flagship depended on Vader, and while Luke was in favour of restoring the Republic, he hated having blood in his hands. He only led missions that involved facilities and buildings, preferably emptied beforehand, as well as intelligence operations, stealing intel, spying, but not cold-blooded murder.

“Can I go?” asked Luke, suddenly irritated beyond his years.

“What? No.” said Vader automatically. Luke knew he hadn't considered any other answer.

"I have things to attend to.” stated Luke calmly.

“Another bombing, perhaps?”

“I can't tell you, you know I can't.” whispered Luke.

Vader stood up to leave. “You will be allowed to leave once you are fully healed–”

Luke threw his head back in protest and groaned.

“No. Listen to me,” protested Vader, pointing a finger at him, “Whenever we find each other you are always somehow injured, unconscious or half-dead.”

Luke nodded in protest, eyebrows raised. “Yeah, and whose fault is that?”

Vader leaned on the wall and looked at him. “Stay and rest. This is the least I can offer.” he pleaded. 

They looked at each other and Luke felt affection swell inside his chest, understanding that he was now talking to Anakin Skywalker, his father. He cherished these moments the most, and while he secretly admired Darth Vader's strategic genius, he admired his father more.

Just because he was his father, and that was all that mattered.

* * *

Luke was dispatched a day later with a short goodbye and a promise to see each other again. “Unharmed, if at all possible,” said Vader, and Luke left following the strict indications he had given him to escape.

He took an old ship his father was repairing, _insisted_ that it had been repaired. Luke watched Yavin 4 come into view as he left hyperspace and took a deep breath, almost as if he could smell the faint trace of the forests below.

He landed close to the rebel base but not close enough so as not to alarm them of a mysterious ship. Luke didn't even want to call the metal he landed in a proper ship, but his father had somehow kept his promise of not harming him, because the ship landed smoothly and the repairs were miraculously good.

Luke realised that there was so much he didn't know about Anakin Skywalker; day job Jedi Knight, occasional engineer?

He stepped out of the ship and briefly considered keeping it. The Alliance needed spare ships, but they would ask where he got it from and he wasn’t sure he could come up with _anything_ to justify the origins of this visually unflyable piece of discolored metal.

Putting these thoughts aside, Luke grasped at the bond, now but a thin invisible string. 

_Father?_

Vader's presence was shaking. _Have you landed safely?!_

Luke frowned. _Landed? Yes, as safely as I could! Where did you even get it?_

_I collect spare ship parts._

Luke stopped walking and stared at the tree in front of him, frowning. _That– that wasn't even an entirely original ship?_

Luke could sense Vader's amusement. _It was operational and safe, or else I would not have given it to you._

_I know, but you're avoiding the question. Since when do you build ships?_

Vader fell silent, and Luke knew he was walking uncharted territories. When they spoke through their bond, they talked about the present, the future and always about Luke. But getting information out of Vader was very difficult, not to say close to impossible, and Luke didn't want to interrogate the Interrogator. Not that he would interrogate his father out of his own volition anyway, Vader had his secrets as did Luke. It was not something he bothered himself with but on the rare occasions that Vader opened up to him, Luke welcomed any information he would give him.

_I have always worked with ships, son. The ship I have given you was just one of my projects._

_Do you want it back?_ asked Luke, suddenly feeling awkward.

_Force, no. Keep it._

Luke laughed. He had a feeling that that was as far as it would go that day. He didn't answer and let go of the bond, feeling the string fly out of his hands. Feeling the bond go away always felt like being punched in the stomach from the inside, and he was left gasping for air.

As soon as the pain receded, he noticed the forest around him. Luke walked for what seemed like hours, and tensed when he saw the base. He entered the security code and scanned the building for life forms. 

“Come in.” said a female voice, and Luke smiled. To his surprise there were only ten people in there, all glued to one holocron.

“Luke!” shouted Leia, running to pull him into a hug. Luke hugged her back and smiled against her shoulder. He opened his eyes to find everyone staring at him, some smiling, others looking at the door.

“Where are the others?” asked a General warily.

Leia took a step back to look at him. “You don't look like you've undergone imperial custody much. Where have you been? We thought we'd lost you.”

Luke swallowed. He hated this part, always did. “We were captured. I managed to steal an old ship and escape but the others couldn't make it. But I have a rescue mission; I know where the Executor is and I have a vague idea of where they're holding them.”

“We're out of people. Most of them are scattered around the galaxy, we only have one team left.” said Leia.

“And us.” suggested Luke.

“And us.” confessed Leia. “One team _and us.._.” she said, nodding to herself, “But it's still not enough people.”

Luke clenched his jaw. “This is precisely why I need to go with you. I have been there several times to count, I have a plan.” 

Three hours later, Luke walked in circles around one holo of the Executor. He had to act like he wasn't familiar with the ship and hadn't spent the last five years in Vader's personal hangar tinkering with ships.

Luke wasn't sure if Vader was even aware that his crew was still there, or perhaps he just didn't care. Luke never knew what Vader was thinking.

“We need to get ourselves captured.” he announced, ready for the protest.

The Force hit him with a stick. “What?!” shouted his crew. 

“It is the best way to gain access to the prison cells. I know the path. No harm will come to you.”

“Like no harm came to your previous crew?” asked a man.

“This is a war,” he stated seriously, “If you cannot accept that collateral damage is always at stake, then you can leave or not participate in this mission, but we need your help. _They_ need our help.”

They departed at noon in the Falcon, and Luke checked his father's Force-presence quietly. He had his shields up because if Vader recognised him, the mission would fail and he would be lectured about his personal safety _again_. 

“Kid, you sure you know where we're going?” asked Han from the pilot seat. 

“Han, I've been there far too many times to count. The magnetic field is on the West sector, the prison cells are heading South from the main bridge.” said Luke.

He was interrupted by a beeping from the console. “Commander Skywalker, we are in position.”

“Good, fire.” said Luke, and watched how dozens of ships flew to the Executor and shot. It was like a painting, but at the same time Luke had grown so familiarised with the scenery that he no longer appreciated the colors.

One down.

Three down.

Luke took a deep breath, feeling the life forces shaking. He also felt his father's sudden irritation, and then he hid his presence even further from him. The ships that could reach the magnetic field disappeared into the flagship, and after some minutes Han flew closer.

A large magnetic strap picked them up and they were guided towards the main hangar, where they saw stormtroopers forcing the pilots to leave their X-Wings at gunpoint. 

Luke could feel Han staring at him. “It will be fine, trust me.”

“I trust you kid; the others don't.”

Before Luke could protest, the ramp opened and they heard footsteps echoing across the Falcon. They stood up and placed their hands on the air, and the troopers took them to reunite with the remaining pilots.

They were handcuffed, and Luke ignored the glares the pilots were sending him.

Overall there were less than twenty people, and Luke stayed at the end of the crowd while they were guided across the corridors. Judging by how the crew started to dissipate the further they walked, Luke knew they were on the right path. He was calm because he had been in the Executor too many times to count, sometimes officially, other times because he snuck out to greet his father.

Then he heard something. 

The loud footsteps.

Luke suppressed a curse.


	3. Save Your Skin

The stormtroopers heard the loud footsteps and fear ran down their spines. Luke also shivered and hid his presence even further.

The stormtroopers closer to him shivered in fear and walked to the front to warn the leading troops. They all walked in silence, and Luke frowned at the irresponsibility of leaving prisoners unattended. But he guessed they feared what was headed their way more than the punishment for leaving a prisoner alone.

They continued walking across and Luke heard the footsteps again, this time coming from the parallel corridor on his left. Nobody else seemed to hear them, and Luke wondered if this was the Force warning him with an echo. As soon as the crowd passed the left corridor Luke sighed, but the footsteps didn’t stop.

Once they passed another corridor on their right, Luke was suddenly tugged into the shadows with bone-breaking strength.

He took a moment to calm himself down, even if he knew _exactly_ who was standing in front of him and gripping his arm. He looked up at his father angrily, even if they were in the shadows and he could only see the red lights of the suit.

“What are you doing here?!” asked Vader, his vocoder not being able to whisper. He pointed a finger at him and Luke shook himself out of his grasp, taking a step back. 

“Going to prison,” he said calmly, ”What are _you_ doing here? Don't you have a defense to plan? I heard there's been an attack.”

Vader clenched his jaw. “It was you,” he said slowly, “Do you not remember that I wanted you alive and unharmed?”

“But I am alive, _and_ unharmed!” said Luke defensively. 

Vader tilted his mask down to look at him and with a wave of the hand uncuffed him. Luke sent a silent thank you with his eyes and rubbed his inner wrist. “It was nice seeing you again, father, but I need to get back to–”

“You will _not_ go back to prison, son.” said Vader, taking him by his shoulder and dragging him down the corridor in the opposite direction of the prison cells.

“Father,” said Luke through clenched teeth and as low as he could, “I really need to get back. I'm on a mission.”

Vader stopped walking and stared at him. “A mission? Your attack was pathetic. It did nothing but distract me.”

Luke prayed to the Force that his father wouldn't be a smartass, but it was too late. 

“...unless that was your intention,” said Vader slowly. “You want something.”

“I am not at liberty to say, and I would very much like for you to let me go.” said Luke politely.

“No. You are _not_ to cause any more damage to this ship, Commander.” said Vader, pointing a finger at him because he knew it irritated Luke, “Unless you tell me what you want, I will not let you go.”

Luke clenched his fists and took a deep breath. He knew that arguing with Vader was pointless. “Fine, it's a rescue mission.”

“Who in this ship even needs your rescue, son?” asked Vader.

“The fleet that was captured a week ago. The bombing in Phaeda, those are my men. They shouldn't pay for _my_ mistakes while I get to walk free getting special favours from the Empire's second in command.”

Oh, those people.

Vader didn’t want Luke wandering alone; he would get captured and put in a different cell than his new friends, and his old ones. He had so many friends. “Very well, son. But I cannot let you go back alone.”

Luke nodded. “Do you know where they're sending them?” he asked, crossing his arms and leaning his back against the wall. 

Vader immediately took his commlink out. “Admiral, I request the location of the rebel fleet that has been captured an...” he looked at Luke, who immediately understood the question and lifted one finger at the air, “...an hour ago.”

Luke watched his father in silence. It was still surreal watching Darth Vader in action, terrorising his crew with just his voice, and yet feeling his gentle grip on his shoulder. It was a contrast of emotions he still couldn't figure out. 

“The sixth level, cells G-250 to G-285, my Lord.”

Luke rolled his eyes at the title and Vader deactivated his commlink. He tilted his mask to gesture Luke to follow him and they walked slowly, Vader's hands clasped behind his back. “How are you going to explain to your friends that you managed to escape from the guards? I suppose that was not part of the plan.” he asked.

Luke smiled. “Well, I wouldn't have to lie. They heard you coming and forgot I was even there. It wouldn't have been hard to escape.” Vader nodded and Luke decided to press, “Now, why are _you_ helping me? This isn't a mission where my safety is compromised. You're helping a rebel fleet escape from the Executor.”

“Your safety will always be compromised as long as you remain in the position of commander.” said Vader, “I am helping you because the loss of a small rebel fleet is insignificant to me.”

“Are they alright?” asked Luke.

“I do not know.”

“What do you mean you don't know?!” asked Luke indignantly.

“I have officers in control of the prisoners, what happens there is of no concern to me.” stated Vader.

“Well, maybe if you _did_ check once in a while you could have prevented me from being imprisoned a week ago!” said Luke. He felt Vader's anger peaking in the Force, and as soon as the words left his mouth he regretted them. 

Vader looked at him. The boy was so young; he shouldn't look so exhausted. But again, he knew what war could do to people. When he was Luke's age he was already a General, and when _she_ was pregnant he promised that his child would never have to live during a war. 

Yet there they were, arguing.

“I understand, son. A war takes its toll on you. I never wanted you to be involved in one.” he said.

Luke frowned. “What do you mean? We met when I was already in the Alliance.”

A simple _No_ is all that Vader said, and Luke frowned, trying to understand his father’s crypticism. “Do you– I know you don’t like talking about this, but I need to know.” said Luke softly, and placed a hand on Vader’s shoulder to stop him. “Did you– did you _really_ want to have a child?”

Vader's heart dropped to the floor and made a hole through the Executor.

Luke was staring at him, awkward and suddenly very self-conscious, and Vader was reminded of the boy he had met several years ago. The Luke in front of him had changed, the war had changed him— his son had grasped the importance of their duties as well as the sensitive nature of their familial relationship.

But he was still _very_ young and Vader doubted he would ever see his son as anything other than a child, his child, but he shouldn't look so exhausted.

“We did, Luke.” said Vader softly. He placed a hand on Luke's cheek carefully, as if he was made of glass. His son was frowning, trying to understand what was said between the lines. He could feel Luke's sadness and emptiness in the hole that his mother should have filled. “She would have loved you very much, son. I see traces of her in you.”

Luke clenched his jaw and suppressed a sniff, smile shyly. “Would she approve of this war?”

Vader shook his head slowly, hand still holding Luke's cheek. “No, she would not. She believed in the Republic until her last breath,” said Vader, “but she would be proud of your cause. It is in my understanding that she was part of a delegation against the Emperor.”

Luke frowned, this time his expression growing cautious. His eyes darkened and he made himself look taller. “My mother was a rebel?” he asked, his eyes going back and forth between Vader's eyes, and then he laughed, “How do you live with that?”

“Son, I am not a fanatic. I know the Empire has its faults.”

“And now _you_ are a rebel?” asked Luke incredulously.

Vader took a step back, crossing his arms. “No, and do not accuse me of such things,” he said, his terror voice back, “What your little group does is terrorism.”

“And what the Empire does isn't?”

Vader didn't move. “Terrorism has many definitions. I am not sure how the Empire fits in any of them.” he said, and started walking again, Luke jogging to catch up with his long strides. 

“No no no no, you don't get to avoid this conversation. This Empire you're commanding is costing the lives of millions! Have you seen the state of the Outer Rim planets, or any other planet that isn't Coruscant? This needs to end!” he exclaimed, but Vader just continued walking.

Luke sighed and followed Vader down the empty corridors, their footsteps echoing across the Executor. 

“How are you planning to escape?” asked Vader.

Luke blinked, unimpressed, picking out lint from his black jacket. “Well, we get back to the hangar where our ships are.”

“It will not be that simple. There are guards in position.” said Vader.

“Well...we will distract them!” said Luke as if they were discussing something pointless, his fingers tracing an intricate pattern to get something out of the elbow.

“They will not be so easily distracted once they are notified that rebel prisoners have escaped.” stated Vader, and Luke looked at him, “They know you will be heading for your ships.” 

“Well, _I_ will distract them.” suggested Luke tiredly.

Vader stopped walking. “You will not!”

“Oh, I will.” teased Luke and tried to move past Vader, but the man stood in front of him like a statue.

“No!” roared Vader, and pointed an accusing finger at Luke, “You will not put yourself in a dangerous situation again just to risk your life for some insignificant people! Unharmed and alive, is that understood?”

Luke groaned in protest but Vader shushed him with a zipping gesture. Luke continued staring at him, unimpressed. “I will do what I have to guarantee my men's safety and wellbeing. You've fought in many wars and have lost more men than I have, therefore you should understand the importance of this!” protested Luke, tapping his boots on the floor.

“Yes, but I do not want to see you harmed just because your insolence has deprived you of common sens-”

A creak on the floor.

Oh no.

Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker stared at the intruder. For anyone unfamiliar with the Force the speed at which they turned around would seem inhuman. Vader took a step forward to protect his son, his presence darkening lethally, but Luke put out a hand in the air, signaling his father to stop whatever murder he was already planning. 

Han Solo thought he was seeing ghosts. He blamed Chewbacca and the spoiled beer he drank before the mission.

His owlish eyes were glued to Darth Vader, barely registering Luke.

His friend Luke, who was jogging to him in small strides.

“Han! What are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the rest?” said Luke with a fake smile, placing a strong hand on his shoulder. Han finally stopped staring at Darth Vader and turned his head to look at Luke, somehow not processing who the man in front of him was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vader: hey what do you have there?  
> Luke, smiling: a rescue mission!  
> Vader: NO!!!!


	4. Temperamental

Luke could feel his father's confusion as well as his instinctive anger. He knew his father was the most cautious man he had ever met, as well as the most ruthless, and that a stranger had just caught them arguing. Them: Commander of the Rebellion and Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet.

The fuse of the bomb had been lit.

“Luke...that's Darth Vader.” whispered Han, keeping his eyes locked on Vader, as if as long as he stared at him Vader wouldn't attack.

Luke knew otherwise. “Yes...?”

“Blink twice if you need help,” whispered Han and leaned closer to Luke, “We can outrun him...” he said, and then remembered that he had never seen Darth Vader running, “...I think.”

Luke laughed and Han froze even more. Darth Vader was watching the situation from afar, still as a statue, confused and trying to remember if he knew anything about that man. He looked older than his son, and he saw him reaching for his weapon. 

There was a blast.

And a scream.

Luke was too late to react when Han fired at Vader, but Vader blocked the predicted blast and sent it flying to a wall at the end of the corridor. He then pulled the blaster to his hand with the Force.

Han screamed; he was used to seeing Luke using the Force, but it was for making screwdrivers float, not blocking blaster bolts.

“This is a terrible quality blaster, even for a rebel.” said Vader before it even landed in his hand. Luke knew that as soon as his father saw a new weapon he was lost. Vader would be in his own world until he decided that he had completed his examination and then would give his long opinion about its mechanics. Luke knew he had minutes alone with Han before his father returned to the living world.

“Why are you so calm?!” cried Han, placing both hands on Luke's shoulders, shaking him, “This is Darth Vader! I'm unarmed! We need to leave now!”

“But your blaster-” protested Luke calmly. 

Han cursed loudly. “Who cares about my blaster?! We have to go-”

“We will, but wait," said Luke, patiently, "Why are you here?” 

Han swallowed anxiously. “I ran away and got lost, but then I heard your voice and thought phew, Luke's here! but then I saw-” Han pointed a shaky finger at Darth Vader and Luke turned around to look at his father, who was busy dismantling the blaster and putting it back together like a child with a new toy.

Luke suppressed a smile.

Han shuddered. “We need to leave-”

“Wait here, I'll be right back.” said Luke calmly, and Han had officially concluded that Luke was crazy. Vader saw Luke approaching him and put the blaster back together in a hurry. 

“And well?” sighed Luke. He knew what was coming.

Vader handed him the blaster reluctantly. “I am impressed that it is still functional. The power source is fried, the trigger is unkempt and the barrel needs urgent heat treatment or it will fire back next time he uses it. Not that it concerns me.”

Luke smiled softly at his father's eccentricities and changed his face before he turned around to return the blaster to Han. The man took it with shaky hands, and saw how Darth Vader had walked to them and placed a hand on Luke's shoulder. Luke raised his eyebrows, urging Vader to speak. 

“We need to go. The blast damage will attract attention.” said Vader calmly, ignoring Han's mental hysterics.

Luke nodded. “Han, we need to leave. Follow me, you're safe.”

Han didn't follow him, of course he didn't. He wasn't insane like Luke! Whatever Vader had on him he didn't on Han! He should run the other way and rescue the others, and then come back for Luke if he was still alive. But he couldn't leave Luke in the hands of the monster. He couldn't. 

The kid was crazy.

Luke turned around when he saw that Han wasn't following him. Darth Vader, already several steps ahead of him, stopped on his tracks too.

“Han, listen, I know how this looks...”

“It looks awful!” said Han through hysterical laughter. Luke was crazy! Talking to Darth Vader! The man responsible for so many of their friends' deaths!

Luke!

Han's eyes widened in realisation, something resembling fatal terror, “Wait, no...Luke, are you a trait-?”

Before he could finish the sentence Vader's lightsaber was on his throat. The bomb had few seconds left. “You do not get to accuse Luke of treason. He is the most loyal boy to your Rebellion and it would be foolish of you to lose him to false accusations.” 

Luke cringed at the word _boy_ and rolled his eyes with a groan. He suspected it was because Vader regretted not having been there during his childhood, but that didn't excuse how he addressed him, especially in front of other people.

“That's enough!” he shouted, but Vader didn't move. Han was on the floor, pale as the ceiling with only the crimson red of Vader's lightsaber giving his face a red blush.

“He has accused you of treason!” roared Vader, pointing the lightsaber closer to Han's neck.

“He's scared for his life! Stop!” shouted Luke.

“These types of accusations are prohibited on this ship!” exclaimed Vader.

“What? Accusing someone of treason? Do I need to remind you that he just saw me chatting with Darth Vader?” shouted Luke. He hoped the title-calling would irritate his father and he would take it out on Luke, not Han. Luke could survive Vader's temper, Han couldn't. Nobody else could.

Meanwhile, Han thought he was hallucinating, but now he wanted to scream. Both Luke and Darth Vader were arguing like children! In a million years he thought he'd get to see this. _Chewie would never believe this._

Luke started to panic when Vader wasn't answering. He knew Vader wouldn't kill him, he rarely killed people in front of him, but he wanted Han's shaking to stop. “Fine,” said Luke icily and only then Vader started paying attention, “I hate doing this, but if you don't let him go I will run to the bridge and scream.” 

“You will not do that!” roared Vader, taking pleasure in how Han's eyes were displaying different waves of fear and confusion at the interaction. 

“Oh, I think you know that I'm perfectly capable of that.” said Luke calmly. He knew how to get on his father's bad side.

“But you will not!”

“Then let him go.” suggested Luke.

“I can sense his fear of you, Luke. He doesn't trust you.” said Vader.

“Of course he wouldn't!” exclaimed Luke, arms raised in the air, “Look at him! Really, _look_ at him!” Vader looked at the man beneath him, feeling nothing. Luke, sensing his father's apathy, crossed his arms in protest. “He is one of the bravest people I know and you have reduced him to _this_.” said Luke through clenched teeth, pointing at Han. 

Seeing that Vader's lightsaber was still on Han's throat, Luke turned around and started walking down the corridor slowly.

“Where do you think you are going, young one?” asked Vader icily. 

Luke turned around to face him innocently. “Oh, to the bridge. Is Piett still there? It's been a while. I hope you haven't turned him to space dust.”

Vader let out a loud groan and deactivated his lightsaber, taking a few steps back. Han crawled away and Luke kneeled next to him, putting a hand on his shoulder. “I'm sorry, Han. I shouldn't have-”

Han swallowed, unable to slow down his heart. “Kid, what the hell...” he whispered out of breath. Luke nodded guiltily and stood up to approach Vader. Han was watching everything teary-eyed, convinced he was dreaming.

It was that or Luke needed to see a medic. Shit, _he_ probably needed to see a medic too!

Luke was standing in front of Darth Vader, unafraid. “We've talked about this!” whispered Luke, pointing an accusing finger to Vader's chest.

Han's mouth fell open. 

Darth Vader crossed his arms. “Unharmed and alive.”

“I believe that also applies to my friends, don't you think?”

“You have a lot of friends.” stated Vader and if Luke wasn't so angry he would have laughed at the accusation. 

“Why do you say that like it's a bad thing?”

“They can betray you. Especially if they're rebels.”

“You always think in black and white, but this isn't how people work. There are far more things out there than betrayal, treason and what else!” said Luke and took a deep breath to calm himself down. His anger at his father was useless now, so he rubbed his temples and sighed. “I meant what I asked.”

“What exactly?” asked Vader, unaffected by Luke's speech.

“Piett. Is he still alive?” asked Luke calmly, his voice monotone. Han was owlishly blinking, suppressing his need to take his blaster out of his own belt, shoot at Vader, laugh when he failed and run.

“Yes. He is one of my most tolerable admirals, why are you inquiring?” asked Vader.

Luke smirked softly. “Because he _is_ one of your most tolerable admirals.”

Vader smiled behind the mask and placed a hand on Luke's shoulder, pressing slightly. “Your compassion for people will get you in trouble, little one.”

Luke clicked his tongue but smiled anyway. “Well, considering that you would have killed Han if I wasn't here, I could say that _your_ compassion for me would get you in trouble.”

Han tried to remember the last time he heard a joke this good. This had to be a joke, right? Darth Vader probably didn't even know what the word _joke_ meant.

Vader's voice interrupted him out of his thoughts. “Of course, Luke. We have already established that it does get me in trouble.”

What the hell.

Luke shook his head. “By the way, shouldn't your minions be here already? You've made quite a mess.” said Luke, looking past Vader's shoulder.

“No. My _minions_ , as you so eloquently put it, don't have access to these corridors. Do you think I am that irresponsible to talk to you in monitored areas?”

Luke sighed dramatically. “Of course, because you are always so discreet when you handle people, _father_.”

Han hit the back of his head against the wall.

Luke shut his eyes, feeling anxiety rush through his veins as his mind went blank. The Force shuddered around him with something resembling laughter. He turned around to look at his friend, who was staring at him with a look of deceit, confusion, exhaustion and terror, _again._

“I can explain-” said Luke pathetically.

Han stood up and walked away, his knees gelatine from whatever was going on. “I think I'll just leave now. Leave you...to your own things, yeah. Probably for the best,” he laughed and waved them both goodbye, “Keep arguing or whatever. It was entertaining. Nice to finally meet you, sir Lord Darth Vader! Luke hasn't talked about you much but— I'll just go, sorry.”

Luke followed him. “Han, wait!”

He turned to take one last look at his father, who simply nodded and left, disappearing out of sight. Luke jogged to Han, who was disoriented from the panic and had no idea where he was going.

“Han!” said Luke, catching up to him. Han was avoiding his gaze, his eyes looking across the corridors and their dull colors that all looked the same to him. Luke placed both hands on Han's shoulders so the man would face him. “Han. I'm sorry. I didn't want you to know this way—”

Han's mouth opened like a fish and he blinked in confusion, eyes tracing Luke's. “Wait a damn minute,” he said laughing, even if his mouth was still opening and closing, “you mean you weren't lying?”

Luke blinked.

He had a window of opportunity to escape; to say that it was fake, all part of a cruel joke, but he couldn't lie to Han, not after what he's been put through. He knew from stories that anybody who faced Darth Vader had nightmares for at least a year. 

“No, he really _is_ my father.” confessed Luke, the words sounding strange to his ears. It was something he had admitted to himself long ago, but he knew it would take longer for other people. Especially if said father had nearly just killed them in cold blood.

Han collapsed to the floor. Luke didn't know what to say, feeling intensely guilty, so he just played with the fabric of his jacket, giving Han some time to process the truth.

“I can't believe this,” whispered Han, out of breath. “Darth Vader! Your father! Kid, for a moment there I thought you were crazy. Like, Jabba level crazy. For how long have you known?” he asked, his voice slowly regaining his usual confidence.

“For over five years now,” explained Luke, “I thought he was dead.”

“Yeah, you said so...” mumbled Han, “But what happened, then? How-”

“It’s complicated. It happened during one of my first missions. At the time I thought I would die— he was _this_ close to killing me, but he saw my lightsaber.”

“That Jedi thing? But you said it was your father's?” said Han and Luke nodded slowly, aware that Han was still in shock to process things normally. Han's eyes widened and he opened his mouth to let out a soft _oh_.

“Hell, I'm so sorry kid.” he said.

Luke frowned. “What for?”

Han looked at him like he was growing an extra pair of heads. “Well, it must not have been easy having Darth Vader, _The_ Darth Vader as your dad.”

Luke shook his head slowly. “No, I mean...yes. I was in shock for a few months, but I knew he wasn't lying. It took some time but I adjusted. I had finally met my father, what else could I possibly want?”

Han continued to look at him like he was talking in a different language. “Yeah, the Empire's second in command.”

“Trust me, I know. It's been hard balancing our connection. We don't talk about the war.”

Han frowned hysterically. “Then what the Hells do you talk about with that man?” he shook his head, “Is he...a man?”

Luke nodded. “Yeah, just injured.”

“Oh. Well, that explains a lot.”

“And he's actually a pretty nice guy.” confessed Luke, and Han couldn't restrain himself from laughing hysterically. 

“Luke, you're crazy!"

“But he is!” protested Luke.

“He just tried to kill me! Does he even feel sorry?”

“Yes, but...in his own way.”

“In his own way,” repeated Han incredulously and shook his head in disbelief. “I'm getting you to a medic once we get out of here.”

_Oh, right. The mission._

“Yeah uh, about that...” said Luke, scratching the back of his neck, “You have to promise you won't tell anyone.” Han blinked. His emotions were a blank canvas. “Please. This is important.” said Luke, clenching his jaw. Suddenly he looked so much older in Han's eyes. 

“Yeah, of course. I'm not a snitch.” said Han cockily, and Luke smirked. “But you have to tell me what's going on. It's not like everyday you survive meeting Darth Vader because _his son_ saved you.”

Luke wanted to laugh but his guilt didn't let him. He reached out a hand for Han, who took it and stood on shaking knees. Luke sensed that Han was still in shock, so he used the Force to place the rest of their crew. They were still somewhere in the sixth level, as Piett said, so he pulled an arm around Han's waist to support him and walked to the source of the presence.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> han solo, as brendon urie in that video, laughing hysterically: WHAT THE F*CK IS GOING ON?!!!


	5. The Galaxy At His Feet

After some minutes Han regained his confidence and shook himself out of Luke's grasp. There was tension between them and the Force felt like static in extremities after sitting for too long.

“So you just uh, talk like normal people?” asked Han, breaking the silence. 

Luke laughed. “As normal as it can get.”

Han watched him as if he was watching an exotic animal. “And you've known that he was behind so many operations and did nothing?”

They reached the sixth prison level and Luke extended his hand to search for the crew, ignoring Han's question. “They're still here but it won't take long for the guards to notice us. We have to get going.”

Han nodded and tightened his hold on his blaster. His blaster, which Darth Vader thought was trash. As if the man knew anything about blasters! 

The question still lingered in Luke's mind, and he swallowed before talking. “But I did do something,” he said, and Han frowned, “About the missions. Whenever I sensed that he was near, I took control of the fleet.”

“But doesn't he sense you also?” asked Han, confused. This Force thing was driving him nuts. Luke was driving him nuts. The imperials were driving him nuts. Darth Vader was driving him nuts. The Skywalkers were driving him nuts! _Wait_ \- did that mean Darth Vader used to be a Skywalker too? 

Luke interrupted his thoughts. “I can hide my presence from him. It takes energy, but if the mission requires it, I do.”

“And how does that help us? Shouldn't it be better if he sensed you and didn't shoot your fleet? Because I suppose he wouldn't?”

“Well, he can sense me sometimes. I'm not _that_ good.”

Han took a deep breath. “Fine, fine! You Skywalkers are crazy anyways.” Luke noticed the plural form of his name, and his mind went back to his father. They walked in silence until they reached a long corridor that shone from presences Luke recognised.

“They're here, I suggest we-”

Han had already blasted all the doors open. “Unkempt blaster he says, ha!” exclaimed Han, looking down at his weapon with pride.

He saw a confused group of rebel pilots walking out of the cells. “Alright, y'all listen to me now. I'm Captain Han Solo, I'm with the Alliance. This is Commander Luke Skywalker, but you already know him. We're here to rescue you.”

The remaining fleet was exhausted from what they had undergone that last week of imprisonment. One of them spoke. “Luke, what's the plan?” Han opened his mouth to protest, but Luke spoke first.

“First of all I'm glad you're all safe. I want to apologize but I'm afraid we don't have much time. The ships some of you came in are still in the hangar. I will distract the guards and you will leave.”

“What about you?” 

“I will join you later.” said Luke, and Han wondered if Luke was stupid enough to rely on Darth Vader for help, but perhaps he wasn't stupid at all. If someone in power could give them help (well, not them—Luke) then they would be stupid to refuse.

Luke gestured everyone to follow him, and Han wanted to laugh at how ridiculous the image was: Shepherd Luke Skywalker leading his injured fleet out of his own father's ship. From Darth Vader's flagship! Darth Vader, who was probably watching them from some dark corner-

Han observed the way Luke walked and behaved himself, asking his fleet if they were alright, if he should contact the medbay immediately after they landed, and all Han saw was Luke Skywalker, his friend, whose father was a mystery to Han.

Luke Skywalker, who was kind and selfless. 

But Han looked closer now, and he saw the way Luke's jaw clenched when a pilot talked about their injuries and how they got them. How he walked like he could crush the galaxy with his own hands and how he looked like he feared no one. Han always wondered why Luke didn't fear Darth Vader and now he understood, or rather, he _saw._

Luke Skywalker carried himself as if he was responsible for the entire galaxy but knew he could face it alone, even if he would rather not. His posture also spoke volumes, and Han should have realised that there must have been something in his genetics. Darth Vader's son, of course, it made perfect sense!

Except that it didn't, none of it made any sense to Han. During the walk he wondered who Darth Vader was, now that he knew he used to be a Skywalker, and he pictured a man somehow like Luke but much colder and aggressive, and he shivered at the thought of Luke being-

“Han...”

He snapped out of his thoughts and looked at the man he was thinking about. “Hmm?”

“You're thinking too loud.” said Luke, half-irritated, half-delighted.

Han frowned. “Do you even know what I was thinking about?”

“No, but it isn't hard to guess,” said Luke, and leaned closer so nobody could hear them, “I don't know what kind of stories you're imagining about Vader but I swear I'll tell you later. You need to focus, I know you're still in shock but please; the mission.”

Han nodded. “But he's not around, is he?”

“Honestly? I don't know. He's unpredictable, but I told him to leave me alone.”

Han raised an eyebrow. “And you think he will do that?”

Luke shrugged and continued walking, and Han wanted to scream. How could anyone be so calm around Darth Vader!

Luke was crazy.

_Right?_

They finally reached the hangar after a suspiciously quiet walk. Han wondered if Luke was using the Force to keep the corridors empty, or maybe it was Darth Vader, their newly established guardian angel-

“I will distract the guards and you go to your ships and get out of here.” commandeered Luke, “Han, you go with-”

Red light filled the corridor they were in. Luke reached out into the Force but felt no alarm. 

“Is this part of the plan?!” asked Han.

Luke shook his head and tugged at the bond. There was no answer but Luke felt his father shield shyly and confusion sweeped Luke off his feet.

Then, he saw his fleet was staring in shock at the now empty hangar.

Whatever happened, it was their chance. “Now, go!”

They ran down the flight of stairs that connected the corridor to the hangar. He scanned the hangar and saw that there was no one. It was as if all the stormtroopers had disappeared into thin air.

Han approached him from behind, out of breath, as Luke watched everyone jump into their respective ships and head off into space. They ran into the Falcon and Han ignited the engines, getting out of the Executor with little resistance. Han looked at Luke expectantly once they were in space. “You ready to leave?”

Luke didn't know how Han had sensed his unease. “No, wait a minute please.”

Han nodded respectfully, deciding to check the guns and activate the defense shields.

Luke took a deep breath and concentrated on his father's presence. The same wall from before impeded the connection and Luke pressed harder and harder. Vader's presence shifted uncomfortably. He had noticed him! Whatever he was busy with, he had noticed Luke's insistence, but still refused to answer.

Luke groaned. “Ugh, fine...”

“What?” asked Han.

Luke was staring into empty space. “Nothing."

“It's him, isn't it?”

Luke smiled, even if he didn't feel like it. “Yeah.”

“Not answering the Force-comm?”

Luke laughed. “ _The Force-comm_ ,” he repeated, “No, but let's go.”

Han smirked and set the coordinates to jump to hyperspace. Luke pushed one last time against his father’s presence, still carefully shielded and inaccessible, and muttered him a Thank You. It came with more affection than he intended to, but Luke didn't care. 

Meanwhile, Darth Vader stood on the bridge and watched the Millenium Falcon, all but a small bright thing amid the darkness of space, disappear out of sight.

He had been ignoring Luke's pushes against his shields and it pained him to no end, but he didn't want his son to stay in the Executor. As much as he loved having Luke by his side he knew the boy needed to get back to his life.

Vader felt the Force shift around him when he received one last push from Luke and a shy _Thank You_ that was anything but small. It carried so much love and hope that Vader shivered, his ears cancelling out the voices beneath him.

The bridge was having a field day over who had activated the emergency protocols. The officers were screaming something about an attack but Vader could care less, as he was sipping and drowning inside the affection his son had for him. 

His son. Luke, who was safe, unharmed and alive.

His son, whom he could contact anytime because he was his son. _Her_ son. _Their_ son. The small fury of a boy and tamed raw power. The boy that shone brighter than the stars. Vader realised with a sigh that as long as Luke was alright that was enough for him.

Luke was enough for him, and that’s all that mattered, the entire galaxy be damned.


	6. Through Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Many of you asked for a continuation of the story, so here it is! Luke is back in action, Han is terrified of his friend's father, and there's drama in the Skywalker family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is set two months later. Everyone's alive and well, or as well as any character in star wars can be. I also wanted to thank you for your kind comments and how much you liked Vader and Luke in this AU, as well as well as Han being... well, Han about everything. I really enjoy writing this and I'm glad you enjoy reading it.

The mission against the imperial occupation in Lothal was a success. That sector of the planet was clear for the Rebellion to execute their next mission, so Luke went back to their base. He was walking when he heard a group of people laughing from the dining halls and he entered carefully, picked up food and sat on top of a table, absentmindedly picking at his dinner.

“And then the bomb went off and we had to run the other way,” explained a man Luke didn’t recognise, “We heard the troopers say that if Vader found out about this they’d be dead, but the bomb was off already. That Monster couldn’t get them.”

Luke frowned. He didn’t know his father was in Lothal, that changed things! He suppressed a smile and reached out through their bond to feel if his father was on the planet, but felt nothing. Luke turned around to put a face to the voice, and saw a man his age that looked amiable enough, but there was something in his smile Luke didn’t like. It was proud, too over-confident. These qualities could be lethal in a battlefield.

“But what if he _was_ there? You’d be dead too, Keer.” said another voice from the small crowd.

“Nah, I’d fight him.” 

“You can’t fight Darth Vader!”

“You bet I can,” said Keer, “I could take him out alone and pick all those buttons on his chest until he exploded.” 

Luke didn’t want to say that nobody could take out Darth Vader single handedly, or both handedly, or with any other weapon. But that would raise questions, because Luke Skywalker had never faced Darth Vader. Let alone fall asleep from exhaustion while Darth Vader watched over him. He couldn’t say that, but he also couldn’t ignore the humour of the situation. 

Vader's blood ran through his veins, and here they were - people talking about killing his father, not knowing that he carried a part of Vader with him.

“Next time I see Darth Vader I’m killing him.” said Keer again and Luke smiled sadly. It wasn't the first time he heard threats against his father, but he hoped the soldier wasn’t that arrogant to attempt an attack on Vader: he wouldn’t survive. His father was ruthless in every way that Luke wasn't, and perhaps this would be the perfect explanation if the truth ever got out: _Luke Skywalker, son of Darth Vader? Have you even met the kid?_

A woman in the crowd spoke. “He’s going to tear you to pieces.”

“No he won’t.” 

“Alright then, next mission you face him.”

The crowd made a noise. “You know what? Fine! I’ll kill him. I’ll be the one to kill Darth Vader for good. I’ll bring his head on a stick.”

This wasn’t happening.

Luke wouldn’t allow it.

The crowd was stressing him out, so he left the room.

The corridors were spinning around him and he registered that he was heading towards his quarters, but he still could't feel Vader’s presence anywhere, not even when he first entered the orbit days ago. The Force felt like rain on his skin, like an itch he couldn’t scratch. He couldn’t feel Vader, and while this would be a relief to anyone else, to him it meant fear.

He was interrupted out of his thoughts by his commlink beeping. "What's going on?"

“We’re under attack. There’s a large fleet approaching, they will be here any minute now,” rushed Leia, and then addressed someone else, “They must have recognised someone during the mission in town, or we're being followed. I don’t know! It doesn’t matter now! Go!”

Luke took a deep breath and ran towards the hangar, leaving the base behind.

* * *

The battle was a disaster and the casualties were high. Luke landed the ship outside and entered the base from the backdoor to avoid seeing people and go report to Leia first. In fact, he was surprised with how many pilots they've lost that High Command didn't choose to evacuate the base.

The imperials could be here any minute now. 

Luke stopped on his tracks when he saw a stormtrooper, then another. An entire squadron marched down the corridor to his left, and Luke managed to hide using the Force to distract them.

He found a maintenance closet and used the Force to open it from the inside. The room itself was dark and small, but all he needed was a hiding place to comm High Command. After several tries with no answer, Luke gave up. He must have been in battle for at least two hours, that would give enough time to invade the base, but where was everyone else?

And why hadn’t he seen a ship large enough to transport so many troopers?

Something metallic fell off a shelf in the back, and Luke could have sworn he heard a whispered curse. He raised his shields, even if he was certain that his father wouldn't hide in a maintenance closet.

“Shit...” the voice mumbled again. Luke frowned and walked to the source of the noise. He ignited his lightsaber and jumped into the aisle to surprise the intruder. A person on the floor screamed their lungs off. Luke took a step forward slowly, squinting at the stranger.

He couldn't believe this.

“What are you doing here?!”

The lightsaber shone over Han’s face. “I’m hiding! What are _you_ doing here?”

Luke closed his mouth. “Hiding!” he protested. “Ugh, get up.” he extended a hand and Han took it, getting up and fixing his clothes with an annoyed frown.

“Did you have to jump like that? You scared me there!” said Han.

“Oh I’m sorry, _I_ scared you? The base is crawling with troopers and I heard a noise in a dark room! What else was I supposed to do?!”

“Let’s leave it at that we're both scared, alright?” said Han.

“Fine. When’d you get in here anyway?”

Han turned to look at him. “I landed like fifteen minutes ago and now the whole place is filled with imps! What’s going on?”

“There was an attack. I went to battle and now the base is empty, and High Command is not responding either.”

Han clicked his tongue. “Great. So what’s the plan?”

“Where’s the Falcon?” asked Luke.

“In the main hangar. Probably inaccessible by now,” explained Han, and Luke nodded, “Um, can’t you get us out of here?”

Luke looked around. “I’m thinking!” There wasn't much they could do with boxes and cleaning tools.

“No, I mean-” said Han, and leaned closer to whisper, “Can’t you use your mighty Skywalker blood to contact your Guardian Angel and get us out of here?”

Luke swallowed. “I can’t. He’s unreachable," he explained, and then stopped, "Wait, what do you mean Guardian Ang-”

“Where is he now?” asked Han, confused. 

“I don’t know,” confessed Luke, and then protested, “What do you mean use my mighty Skywalker blood to contact Vader? It’s not like I can just tell him to rescue me whenever I’m in danger.”

“Yeah but...” Han moved his head around, trying to walk out of the maze he put himself in. So much for arguing with Vader’s son. “Most times he is the one that puts you in danger in the first place. Not directly, I mean, but the troopers under his command.”

Luke agreed, but he couldn't blame Vader for every person that worked for the Empire, even if the stormtroopers answered to him and seemed to have immigrated to their base now.

Wait- “That’s right! Han, you’re a genius!”

Han smirked in pride, but then frowned at the compliment. “Yeah...why?”

Luke smiled. “The stormtroopers!”

Han blinked. “Awful people, even more awful shooting. Your point?”

Luke clicked his tongue. “I have an idea to get us out of here: we knock two out, steal their gear, go to the hangar and get out of here!” he explained. Luke didn't know where they would go, but it was a start. They had more bases around the galaxy, and any place was better than a maintenance closet.

“Your plan sounds great kid, but there’s one problem. We’re locked in a broom closet and I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there are no troopers around. Unless you want to walk out and say you are Darth Vader’s son- then some trooper might ask for an autograph and only _then_ you knock them out-”

“No!”

“...then I have no idea how you want to leave this place and not get killed.”

Luke sighed. “We need bait, then.”

“Bait.” repeated Han.

“Yeah, bait! I find two troopers, get them to follow me and you put your blaster to stun mode to knock them out.”

Han licked his lips. “Uh, yeah...about that. My blaster doesn’t have a stun mode.”

Luke frowned, offended for a weapon that wasn’t even his. “What kind of blaster do you even have?!”

Han pointed a finger at him. “Hey, I already got the talk from Vader, I don’t need it again. She works perfectly fine when needed, thank you very much.”

“Ugh, fine. Fine!” said Luke, deactivating his lightsaber so they were in total darkness. “I go out, bring two in, you knock them out.” 

“Do I look like I can take two troopers on my own?” asked Han.

Luke made a face. “I’ll help you, of course.”

Han saw Luke’s shadow in the open door, looking left and right before disappearing out of sight. Han sighed and looked at his blaster, thinking that perhaps he could add some modifications later because _he_ thought they might be useful, not because of peer pressure. Like hell he would listen to Vader.

A few corridors down, Luke saw two stormtroopers talking to each other. “Hey, bucketheads!” The troopers turned around and pointed their weapons at him. Luke raised his hands and once the troopers were close to him, he ran. They followed him, not bothering to open fire, and Luke acted out the part of someone panicked enough to enter a maintenance room. The troopers followed, and Luke hid next to the door. 

The troopers tripped over Han’s feet and while they took some seconds to get up, Han hit them on the head with a broomstick. 

“Are they dead?” whispered Luke, mortified. 

Han closed the door behind them. "Nah."

Truth be told, he had no idea.

Luke activated his lightsaber to use as light and kneeled to turn the troopers over. They looked very dead to him. “Han, that was very aggressive!”

Han protested. “Hey, it was _your_ idea!”

“I didn’t know you would use a broom to knock them out!” exclaimed Luke.

“You wanted to use a blaster!”

“It’s not the same!”

“Whatever, let’s get out of here.”

They left their jackets on the floor and squeezed into the stormtrooper armor. Their vision was reduced and they couldn’t move as freely as they wanted to, but it was enough to run. They left the room quietly and managed to sneak through until a stormtrooper approached them. “You, to the hangar.”

Luke turned around. “Yes, sir.”

The trooper pointed at Han. “You, follow me.” 

Luke arrived to the hangar again, and saw dozens of squadrons standing in formation. This used to be an Alliance hangar this morning, he thought as he snuck into a squadron that was in formation. After minutes of silence, he addressed the trooper next to him. “Hey uh, what are our orders here?”

The trooper tilted his helmet to look at him warily. “Don’t know, still waiting.”

“Do you know where the order to occupy the base came from?” asked Luke.

“Don’t know, from above.”

Luke’s heart skipped a beat. “How above?”

“Don’t know! Stop talking!” 

_Jeez._ An officer carrying a datapad approach them. “Scan the perimetres for any remaining rebels and send them to the transport ships outside. Do not take long.”

Luke followed the troops around the hangar pretending to work, until he spotted another group entering. He scanned their minds for any signs of deviance, and found one that was incredibly bored, leaning against the wall. Luke jogged towards the trooper and acted as if he was fixing the door panel. “Where have you been?” he whispered.

Han turned to look at him slightly. “Patrol, I think. You?”

Luke shrugged. “Looking for rebels.”

Han was about to make a remark that _they_ were rebels, but a shout from the other side of the hangar interrupted them. “You two! Get back to work!”

They both walked around the hangar, keeping a respectful distance from each other so they wouldn’t look suspicious. As if the entire base wasn't looking for them already.

Han stopped to pretend he was checking out a vent in the floor. “Oi! There’s a noise there, we’re gonna check it out!” exclaimed Han, pointing at the opened ventilation shaft below them. 

The officer in charge nodded and turned away, so they took that as a cue to get in. Luke squeezed through first after Han pushed him in. After some minutes of crawling, they stopped at a midsection. “You know this base?” asked Luke.

“Eh... It used to be _another_ type of place before. I smuggled some things here and there. Turn left now.”

Luke continued crawling. “I don’t want to know.”

“And I don't wanna explain. So...um, this isn’t Vader’s work?” asked Han.

Luke frowned. “I don’t know,” and then whispered, “We should be quiet.”

Han ignored him. “What do you mean you don’t know? Aren’t you two connected?”

Luke closed his eyes. “Yes, but I can’t reach him.”

Han frowned. He didn’t want to know how Luke could tolerate having Darth Vader’s presence inside his mind. Han could barely tolerate being in the same system as him after The Incident. He didn't even want to co-exist in the same timeline as Vader.

It was then that Luke felt him grabbing his leg and he fell face first into the tiles with a groan. "Hey! What are-" he wanted to argue, but when he turned around he stopped. Han was removing a tile by his right side with surgical precision, almost expecting it to blow up.

“What are you doing?!” shouted Luke in a whisper, lightly kicking Han in the shoulder. Han removed the tile and looked inside and, after a groan, removed a bag. He was smiling, and Luke was surprised that he wasn't surprised. “Do I even want to know?”

Han opened the bag carefully. “It’s Chewie’s,” he said under his breath and showed Luke a pair of rocks and bullets. Luke made a face. “He told me to keep ‘em safe. Safest place I knew.”

“How many times have you been in these vents before, Han?” asked Luke, ignoring why Chewie wanted to keep some rocks safe.

Han smirked. “You don’t wanna know.”

Luke rolled his eyes and exhaled, they had to get out of there. He was eager to get out the vents. They were spacey and he could turn around without many problems, but he preferred the corridors. “Where to now?” 

“Oh, all the way back, come on.”

“What?! Han!”

Han frowned in self-defense. “What?” he protested, “I couldn’t leave these here! Trust me - you don’t want to anger a Wookie.”

Luke took a deep breath to keep his patience in check. Eventually they were back in the corridors, but this time Han was holding a brown cloth bag, as if they weren't already suspicious enough. 

“Keep your gun up.” said Luke, “This is how they walk.”

Han raised an eyebrow. “Okay, Expert.”

“No offense, but I’ve dealt with more imperials than you have.”

Han laughed. “I doubt that, kid.”

“Need I remind you that Vad-”

“Yeah yeah, no need to, thanks.” said Han. He still struggled to accept that Luke was the son of the most feared man in the galaxy, but Luke didn’t have to know that. He continued walking until he saw that Luke had stopped.

He couldn’t breathe. It started as a tingle in his back and then extended to the rest of his body. Luke leaned against the wall, trying to recatch his breath. 

Han gulped. He recognised those symptoms. “Is he here...?” 

Luke nodded, his gaze lost on the floor. 

“Great! That’s just wonderful!”

“I know.” said Luke sarcastically.

“Wait, you’re not happy to see him?” Han never thought he’d say that about Darth Vader, in his entire life. 

“What? No- I mean, in other circumstances yes, but not now.”

Han blinked. “Can’t you just use the Force?”

Luke looked at him. “To do what?!” he whispered loudly.

“I don’t know, I’m not the Jedi here! Can't you...make him not feel you so closely?”

Luke groaned. “I’m trying, but I can’t always do that.”

“Why not?”

“Because he’s been doing this since he was a kid and I haven’t!” said Luke through clenched teeth, trying to be quiet.

“But you’re a kid!” 

Luke protested. “He was even kidder!”

“That doesn’t even make sense!”

“You know what I mean!" shouted Luke, and then lowered his voice, "I can hide but he’s too strong, I might crack.”

“Well, be stronger and don’t crack. Use your Skywalker powers.” suggested Han with fake charm.

Luke was about to snap. “Han-“

“Put them to good use,” said Han, patting his shoulder. “Come on, act like you’re not Luke, you’ve never met him, never even heard of him.” 

They walked deeper into the base, and Luke couldn’t keep his heart from accelerating. Han wondered where they were going, since he didn’t recognize this part of the base, and that was saying something. “The Falcon’s in the hangar filled with bucketheads. It will be a bit hard to leave.” said Han.

Luke frowned. “But _we are_ bucketheads right now so I don't-”

The Force felt cold. It was screaming in his ear. “Han, we need to leave. _Now_.”

“He’s here?”

“He’s very close.” mumbled Luke, taking all his energy into shielding. Before they could leave, a pack of dozens of stormtroopers marched in front of them and Luke eyed them anxiously. Both Han and him stuck to the wall and raised their guns in position, and Han attempted a military salute but Luke stopped him. 

Darth Vader followed.

Han suppressed a yelp and Luke had to force himself to breathe steadily. Vader marched behind the stormtroopers slowly, and Luke wondered why he couldn’t sense him when he was so close. Vader paid them no attention, and once they were gone and Vader’s breathing became inaudible, Han inhaled deeply.

“He ignored you completely! Great.” he explained to no one in particular. 

Luke watched his father walk away. He wanted to follow him and ask what was wrong, but he knew it would be a mistake. For some reason, his father didn’t want to see him at the moment, and attacked a rebel base knowing he could be there. “Something’s wrong, Han.”

“Yeah? Tell me something I don’t know.”

Luke looked at him. “No, I mean. Vader. Something’s wrong with him.” 

“Oh, really? You think?”

Luke didn’t hear him. He was focusing on Vader’s presence, already a small dot far away. At least he still maintained his pace, thought Luke, and then realized he could be back any moment. “We need to leave.”

They reached the empty hangar and entered cautiously, gun raised. The Falcon was still there, and upon checking that the engines and hyperspace were functional, they flew out of the base.

“He hasn’t even bothered to close the gate!” exclaimed Luke.

Han was too busy getting them off orbit to ask who "He" was. Once they were in space, he turned to look at Luke in the copilot seat. He was looking at Lothal almost longingly, lost in thought.

Luke could still feel his Father’s presence below, but it was practically non-existent. He wouldn't feel it if he didn’t look for it - and for the first time in a while, Luke tasted betrayal and disappointment on his tongue. Vader had many mood swings, everyone knew that, but what everyone didn’t know is that most of them were superficial.

This one wasn’t.

Something was very wrong: Vader didn't shut himself off from the Force for something superficial.

“This is Captain Han Solo. I demand to speak to High Command.”

Luke looked at the beeping panel. 

“Yes, Captain?”

“We've lost the base in Lothal. Everyone's been captured.”

There was silence. “Everyone? Where is General Organa?”

“The young?” asked Han, and Luke glared at him, “Captured, I suppose.”

“I see. Any more survivors?”

“Commander Skywalker is with me.”

Luke spoke. “The situation is critical. We cannot give you the full report now though, is there any place we can go to discuss this?” he asked, leaning back on the chair. 

There was a long silence. “No, I am afraid we have been compromised. The communications on Lothal have been taken down.”

Luke stood up. “I can see the Executor from here,” he said, rubbing his eyes, “We might have a shot at rescue.”

“No, that's too risky. We cannot afford any more casualties.”

“We’re here! We’re closer than you are and I know that ship like the palm of my hand. Sending reinforcements now would take far too long. We’re going in.”

The comm line closed. Luke rubbed his eyes and leaned against the wall.

“Do you actually have a plan?” asked Han.

“No, but when do any of my plans go the way I want them to?”

Han shrugged. “Fair enough, but one condition,” he said, and Luke looked at him, “If I see the Dark Highness, or if I even hear his breathing a mile away, I'm getting out of there.”

Luke smiled sadly, wondering if he should do the same.


	7. Fireworks and Codes

Admiral Piett was having an early day. He had many things to do, so he ran across the Executor trying to find an officer. He didn’t mean to stop when he passed a corridor and saw something that caught his eyes. He ignored it and continued walking, but did a double check when his brain processed who it was. 

Darth Vader was standing alone in a viewport, staring at space. 

Piett stopped on his tracks and took a few steps back, and tilted his head to get a better view. He was correct, Darth Vader was standing like a statue in front of a viewport.

Another day on the Executor, another routine. 

Piett sighed; he knew Darth Vader often stared at the stars, but he did that from the bridge. He wanted to walk away, pretend he saw nothing and go on with his day. He took a step forward to walk away, but something inside made him stop. 

“My Lord?” the words left his mouth before he could process them. He cringed but approached Vader anyway. He wasn’t answering, so Piett stood next to him, maintaining a safe distance. The man was still hyper focused on the stars, and Piett looked, thinking that there was something that must have caught his attention, but there was only darkness.

There were viewports that gave view to Lothal, but Vader had chosen to stand here, staring into nothingness. 

“Lord Vader? Is everything proceeding as usual?” he asked, but Vader didn’t move. Piett blinked several times, unsure of the protocol for these situations, so he decided to nod curtly and walk away. He was sure that Vader had reasons for each single one of his actions, so he was standing there alone for a reason. He probably didn’t want to be disturbed.

“Admiral.”

Piett turned around and straightened his back. “Yes, my Lord?”

Vader was silent, still facing the stars. “Prepare a squadron and my ship ready for take-off. I will be absent for two standard days. You are in charge while I am gone, do not fail me.” 

Piett blinked: this wasn’t what he was expecting at all. “Will be done, Lord Vader.” 

He walked away with a firm nod, blinking owlishly at the list of everything he had to do on his datapad. From Admiral to Supreme Commander in less than two minutes, this might have been the fastest promotion in galactical history.

Once he was out of Vader’s sight—if one could ever be out of Vader's sight— he leaned against the wall to take a deep breath.

It was only six in the morning.

On the other side of the corridor Vader blinked twice, barely processing his own words. He looked at the stars for a bit longer, absentmindedly tracing patterns in the darkness of space, and moved to check on Luke out of habit, but stopped before he could reach out.

He couldn't do it.

It hurt too much.

* * *

Han decided he had enough. Luke was crazy if he thought Han would deliberately land in the Executor. Luke would have to jump from space to sneak in, but Han wouldn't abandon his ship. 

“Technically, nothing should happen to it. It was in the base, occupied by imperials, probably headed towards here for inspection anyways!” exclaimed Luke, looking at Han.

Inspection, one of the words Han hated the most. “I am not leaving her to some inspection!”

“Han, she'll be alright.” 

“You'll tell him to guard her?” asked Han, and Luke sensed fear. He was about to answer that yes, of course the ship would be heavily guarded, but–

“Him? Who's He?” asked Luke. "Do you know anyone that would watch over the Falcon? I didn't know you had contacts that deep, I mean, that’s The Executor.”

“Vader! I'm talking about Vader!”

Luke flopped down to the seat. Han seemed to remember his father more than he did. To Luke, his father was like a presence that was always there, and so often he had felt him that Vader merged with his surroundings. He felt him when he was asleep, even if they were systems away from each other. He felt him when he was in danger and couldn’t really _feel_ him, but the memory of his presence was enough to ground Luke to reality. 

Except that for the last six hours he hadn’t felt him at all. Vader had vanished from the Force, and if Luke hadn’t seen him alive back in the base, he would have rushed into the Executor and demanded to see if he was still alive. “I told you already, I can't reach him.”

“What, no signal in space?”

“This is serious, Han.”

Han exhaled slowly, lost in thought. “Perhaps that is a great thing, kid.” he mumbled, eyes darting over the console in excitement, “If he can't sense you, we can get in faster, and you can do your Force magic.”

“It's not mag–!”

Han lifted a finger. “Ah ah, we get in there, pretend we're transporting the ship from our base, you find Vader and off we go.”

Luke blinked. “I can't even begin to explain how much is wrong with your plan–”

“Got any better ideas?”

Luke shook his head. “It will have to do. I was hoping for something dramatic.”

“Dramatic enough to catch _his_ attention?” suggested Han. He didn't want to see Luke worried, and he could care less about Vader's emotions. If he had any, which apparently, with Luke alive and untraumatized, meant he did.

Luke was staring at the Executor, lost in the stars. “I would pay thousands to see their faces if an unauthorised ship landed on the hangar.”

“We can't really see their faces either way, we have to wear this,” said Han, pointing at the stormtrooper helmets lying on the floor, “How do they know who is who? I mean, I could just say Hey You, and everyone would turn around.”

Luke snorted. “They have individual numbers. It's the closest thing to a personality they're allowed.”

Han stopped laughing. “Yeah yeah I know. Former Imperial Lieutenant here, remember? But you seem to really know what's going on there.” he said, tilting his head towards the ship. “I haven't worked for the Empire in _years,_ it has changed a lot.”

Luke nodded silently, and Han decided to approach the subject as delicately as he could. “Listen, if we find Vad–”

Luke turned to face him before Han said the name. “When we find him.” he assured gravely, some drops of promise mixed with fear. If Han already thought Luke's reflexes were creepier than anything he’d seen in Corellia, his newly discovered clairvoyance magic tricks gained the first spot. Luke looked haunted, and Han took back his thoughts of Vader not rubbing off on Luke.

"Just don't do anything stupid, alright?" said Han.

Once the Executor was beneath them, they received a transmission requesting a clearance code. Han was about to talk his way out of it, saying they were transporting a confiscated rebel ship from Lothal, but Luke got ahead of him.

Luke leaned closer to the console. “The code is EO-1X0285.” he said calmly without blinking.

Han was seeing stars.

Clairvoyance!

Bloody Skywalkers! 

There was silence and Han thought they got caught, but they were allowed to land. “How do you–?”

Luke smiled in embarrassment. “Well, Vader's son has to know basic clearance codes for his own father's flagship. What kind of son would he be otherwise?” he said with fake confidence. He would never say this without the layers of sarcasm and irony he knew Han understood.

Perhaps now Han didn't, because he looked at him as if Luke had just revealed that he was engaged to Jabba the Hutt. 

“You're not serious,” mumbled Han, deadpanning, “Vader gave clearance codes to _you_?”

Luke opened his mouth to protest but Han was right. His father and him had The Agreement: no talking about the war, which meant no talking about security protocols, let alone giving out clearance codes. “He didn't, I overheard troopers repeating it out loud to memorize it.”

“You overheard highly secure clearance codes that grant entrance to the Executor. Where? In the evil cantina?”

“The codes are changed regularly so I'm surprised this one works. I heard it a while ago, thought it was important to remember if the day ever arrived.”

“What day?”

Luke smiled sadly and piloted the ship to the main hangar. “The day when my father turned his back on me.” 

That was dark, thought Han, and then wondered why Luke thought this day would never come. Perhaps there was something kind inside Darth Vader after all.

The tension during the ride was palpable from parsecs away. Luke knew Han was against the plan, but they were racing the clock now. They landed and put their helmets on, and when the ramp went down a stormtrooper approached them. “Where from?”

“Rebel base in Lothal,” said Luke, imitating the times he heard troopers talk to each other. “They're sending all the ships here to scan for any rebel intel.”

The stormtrooper didn't answer, and tilted his head to look at Han. “I have not been informed of any upcoming ship transportations.”

Han spoke. “I stored the message, it's inside. Come with me, I'll show it to you.” he said and gestured to the stormtrooper to follow him. 

Luke cringed and stood on guard, occasionally dropping the blaster to cover the struggle inside. Han jogged down the ramp a few minutes after, stretching his arms and wrists. 

Luke sighed. “I can't believe I'm asking this again, but you didn't hit him with a broomstick, did you?”

“You think I keep a broomstick in the Falcon? Who do you think I am?” protested Han, closing the ramp.

Fair enough. 

Han followed Luke down the corridors. “What's the plan?” 

Luke walked like he owned the place, which, if Han thought about it, made sense. “I'm going to my father's office first.” he said calmly.

Han stopped on his tracks. This wasn't happening to him. Luke stopped and turned to face him when he felt Han's amusement. “You're insane.”

Luke shrugged. 

“No, kid, you really are crazy.” said Han, and watched Luke walk away, so he jogged to him, “Doesn't he have like, top level security? We'd get caught!” 

“Yeah, but I'm his son.” protested Luke.

Han exhaled deeply. “And how is that going to help us?”

Luke stopped. Han was overwhelming, his plan was actually very simple. “My dad has access to _everything_. If he's not there or we don't find him, at least we'll have the prison cell numbers. Better than just walking into prison and asking the guards for where they're keeping rebel prisoners. “Avoid suspicion, don't get caught, easy. Stop worrying.”

“So you just know how to hack Vader's security systems?”

“Who says anything about hacking? I know the codes!”

Han's mouth fell open. “You know Darth Vader's codes to his personal rooms.”

Luke was getting impatient. “Yes?” He lived in those rooms whenever he was on the Executor, of course he knew the codes. 

Han was starting to fear him. “How can you do this? I mean, you're with the-” he said, and then whispered, “you have sworn yourself to the Alliance, but you can visit Vader's personal office whenever you want?”

Luke clenched his jaw. “I don't think about it,” he lied, “and we don't talk about the war.” he said coldly and Han shivered at the sudden drop of temperature. 

He wanted to know where Luke stood in all of this. “So what you're doing now is…?”

A light snapped behind them and Luke forced himself to take deep breaths. He had to keep his Force activities at the lowest, because even with his shields up Vader might notice him. “What I'm doing now is trying to find him to ask what happened in Lothal, Han. The details don't matter.”

The answer didn't clear things for Han, but he didn't want to experience again whatever that made the room grow cold. They walked in silence and occasionally saluted stormtroopers that passed them by. After a few minutes of corridors that looked all the same to Han, they reached a part of the ship that was even quieter than the rest, and Han wanted to scream. 

“Wait, if Vader's the Empire's Second in Command, does this mean you're the third?”

Luke stopped on his tracks. While it made no sense, he was curious. “Ha, no? That's stupid.” he laughed shortly but didn't sound convincing, not even to himself. Truth be told, he hadn't thought of it. He made a face. “Actually, maybe I–“

“Are you a Prince then?” asked Han.

“I'm just a pilot, and even if I was a Prince, do you really think I'd take the job? Imperial royalty. Have you met me?”

Han contemplated the wall. “You'd be Lord Skywalker-” 

There was something in the air and Luke paled. It was coming closer. “Shut up.”

“...Lord Skywalker Jr.” mumbled Han, thinking about the title. 

“Han– shut up!” said Luke through clenched teeth. Han wanted to protest at the rudeness but Luke put a hand up and moved them a few steps backwards. A squadron of snowtroopers marched down the corridor next to them. 

“Let me go.”

Luke pushed him a bit more as a warning to be quiet. 

“This looks more suspicious than two troopers just walking, Luke.” whispered Han, and Luke let him go.

They reached an empty corridor and a door at the end of it. 

Vader's personal quarters.

Of course they would be at the end of an ominous silent corridor, thought Han, and he wanted to ask how Luke ended up _so_ different from his father, but decided not to. 

Luke walked first, and saw that nothing had changed in his absence. The lock reminded him of how many times he entered those rooms with his father. Entering without him felt wrong, more than the situation already was. Luke scanned the area through the Force and hesitated. He couldn't feel Vader there, but that didn't mean he wasn't. 

Han exhaled. “This is the most intense experience of my life, and I did the Kessel Run in–“

“Twelve parsecs, yes yes I know.” said Luke, and hesitated before entering. “Hey, do you mind staying here? I'll be quick.” 

Han wanted to protest, but Luke was already gone. 

* * *

Luke entered the room and the lights took longer than usual to flicker on. His jaw clenched involuntarily as he remembered the last time he was there.

About seven months ago, Luke laid on the black cushioned sofa while Vader sat on the desk reading military occupation reports. Luke, knowing his father's hatred for this, was ranting about how he got in trouble with the Alliance's mechanics that week.

“I said I knew my ship better than they did, but they still insisted on repairing it back to its original state because that's what High Command ordered...” protested Luke, looking at the black ceiling and lifting cushions above his head with the Force, “I told them I didn't care, that the ship was efficient enough and most importantly, _excellent_ in combat–“

Vader was busy reading, but that didn’t mean his attention wasn't a hundred percent on Luke. “It is, my son. I sought it myself that the repairs were what you desired, except for the bombs I suggested that you did not–“

The cushion fell to the ground. “I don't want any bombs in my X-Wing, thank you very much. And what would I say when inspection came? _Oh yeah by the way, I've had imperial bombs installed._ What for? _Oh you know, efficiency purposes? Fireworks?_ ”

If Vader could laugh, he would. “Luke, you never know when you will need a bomb.” Luke stared at him, deadpanning for a few seconds until he burst out laughing. 

Vader blinked, he was being serious. “I am not joking, son. The better equipped your ship is, the more chances you have of surviving.”

Luke sighed. “And of defeating your fleet.” he said under his breath, running a hand through his hair. He hated yet loved the moments he forgot about the war and just talked to his father, to Anakin Skywalker. They were bittersweet, because eventually he always remembered that his father was the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet he fought everyday to destroy. 

Vader heard the comment and walked to Luke, sensing his sadness. “I want you to know that I would do anything within my power to keep you from harm.” he said.

Luke couldn't find the strength to look at him. He didn't understand how his father was so immune to their delicate sweet antagonism. 

Vader continued. “Even if it means at the price of an imperial fleet.”

Luke noticed the possessive correction: they weren't his squadrons, they were the Empire's, and while it was pretty much the same thing, Luke thanked him. 

But now the room was cold and couldn't feel him anywhere. He looked at his father's desk and ran a finger along the dust, tracing one long line from one side to the other. If Luke hadn't seen Vader just a few hours ago, he would have thought he had gone into exile.

He turned on the built-in datapad, entered some codes his father didn't even know that Luke knew, and several holograms appeared in front of him. There were scheduled executions, ongoing imperial constructions across the galaxy, mission reports and Imperial Security Bureau's statements to him. Luke had never felt more like a spy than he did now. 

He was breaking his promise of not letting the war interfere with their family by taking advantage of Vader's trust. 

Luke wanted to read all the documents and send them to High Command and stop the war, but he couldn't. It would ruin his family, as selfish as he knew that that was.  
  
His eyes landed on a lonely document that was password protected. To reach that document he had already passed two layers of high security only his father knew, and Vader had another layer installed for this document. It was clearly more important than the ISB's reports sent specifically to Darth Vader, yet the file wasn't heavy. It might as well be a document with only one paragraph of text or a holopicture. 

He couldn't do it. He had already broken his father’s trust enough. 

Luke coughed to ground himself back to reality and found the Executor's prisoner records. There were over a hundred new prisoners recently stationed for interrogation tomorrow, so he memorised the prison cell numbers and turned the datapad off. 

He took one last look at the empty room with a silent promise to come back, this time with his father, even if he knew it might take months to fulfill this promise.

And if his father never forgave him for breaking his trust... then it was a goodbye.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> All aboard the Angst train led by Lord Skywalker Jr! I might have cried (a bit) writing the flashback scene.


	8. Still Human, Perhaps Too Much

Han was still coming to terms with the fact that he was guarding Vader's personal quarters while _his son_ was inside sneaking out imperial information. The boy was either a genius or didn't care for his safety, and Han didn't want to know the answer.

Luke, meanwhile, was still thinking about what he saw. If his eyes stored information, he was sure High Command would rip them off. “They're scheduled for interrogation tomorrow.”

“You broke into Vader's office and that's all you got? I thought you'd have, I don't know, found a way to stop the war or something.” 

Luke didn't answer. He looked at the ceiling, at his shoes, any place that was impersonal enough to forget the situation he was in. 

He shouldn't have suggested the operation, or snuck into the office. He walked a very thin line, and he didn't want to slip. If he told Han everything that he saw, he would tell him to report it to High Command, but Luke wasn't sure that he wanted to do that anymore.

He was a rebel, and a Commander. People looked up at him, it was his duty to report and assist the Alliance with everything he could, but...

"Yes, that's all I got."

Han could spot a lie from parsecs away. It was part of his job, he survived thanks to that, and now he could see that Luke was lying, even if he couldn't see his face. He didn't want to ask, perhaps there wasn't anything _that_ important in Vader's personal files. Besides, it's not like a datapad was the only location where someone could keep files, not that Han had ever kept any files for longer than a week.

“We need to go to the bridge.” announced Luke with fake enthusiasm. “It's the only place left.”

“Are bucketheads even allowed to be there?” asked Han. 

They decided to evacuate the bridge, so Luke caused a distraction severe enough to startle his father. In fifteen minutes, half the Executor was convinced there was a gas leak and one person died because of the toxines. Several troopers were already reporting to the Admirals.

Luke smiled to himself sheepishly. He knew it would take a few more minutes to discover the lie before everyone was on their tales. 

An officer began to follow them.

Luke led them to a corridor he knew was often deserted, and after turning around a corner he stopped. Han continued walking, too concentrated on not getting caught. The officer appeared, Luke placed a hand on his head, said **_Sleep_** and the officer fell to the ground in a swift motion.

Luke grinned. It actually worked! He should do this next time Han suggested something violent to knock someone out. This was better than broomsticks.

He turned around to tell him, relieved that they weren't being followed anymore, but Han was gone. Luke ran down the corridor and saw an unconscious trooper on the floor. He kneeled next to him, placing his head on his lap. “Hey–“

Han moved slowly in his grasp. Luke looked around and saw no one, so he took Han's helmet off. “What happened?” muttered Luke, scanning the Force for any danger. There wasn't any.

Han didn't want to speak. His brain felt mashed. Luke looked around; whoever did this to Han couldn't have gone far. Luke knew the flagship almost as well as any other Admiral; he would find the one responsible for this. Imperials didn't attack normal stormtroopers without a reason, and as far everyone knew, they were simply on patrol. 

Han was very pale, and his gaze was fixed on the wall behind Luke. He started gasping for air and clinging onto Luke's arm with enough to strength to bruise.

Luke panicked.

He shook him slowly, trying to see if something was restrincting his respiratory tract. 

Then Luke heard it, or rather _felt_ it. 

The Force might as well have kicked him in the face with pointy shoes.

Darth Vader stood at the end of the corridor ten steps away from them, his hand by his side and curled in a gesture Luke knew all too well. 

He wanted to scream, tell him to stop, but the noises Han was making sounded too close to death. Instinctively and acting on pure adrenaline, he Force-pushed Vader a few steps back. It was enough distraction for Han to breathe and start coughing. He spoke even if his voice was inaudible. “Vaer- saw me.”

Luke took a deep breath. He had to think, but he didn't have time to react because Vader pushed him to the wall and towered over him. He kept him in place with a hand around his neck.

The Force laughed at the bittersweetness. Unharmed and alive, was it?

How ironic.

Vader stared at the impassive mask of the trooper. He knew the gas leak was fake as soon as it was reported, and made it to himself to identify the intruders. He didn't have the time nor the patience for games. If they wouldn't talk, he'd make them. “I wasn’t made aware of a rebel visit,” said Vader slowly, “To what do I owe the pleasure?”

Seeing him was one thing, being so close to him was another, but hearing Vader threatening him wasn't pleasant. The tone he was using was different to the one he used when he was displeased with Luke. 

This tone resembled the stories Luke heard about. Luke looked at his mask, trying to see his father, but all he saw was a Sith.

He wanted to play the part, but Vader had been purposefully ignoring him for the last two months. His father was _sulking_ , and he probably wouldn't hesitate to kill them both. “To talk, please f-”

Vader frowned, but maintained the grip on him. Luke didn't understand how Vader was using the Force and not recognizing him.

From a corner of his eye he saw Han standing up, one hand on his neck, the other holding the stormtrooper helmet. 

There was a loud sound.

Five seconds later, Vader was on the floor and Luke followed him down. 

“Let's go!” said Han, attempting to shout. His voice was still rough and the adrenaline made him dizzy. 

Luke didn't hear him. He was already by his father's side, putting an arm around him to place him sitting against the wall carefully. 

Han laughed. “Luke, come on!” 

Luke reached out into the Force, no longer bothering to hide his presence, and checked his father's vitals. He was still alive, but Han hit him hard. “He’s out.” said Luke through clenched teeth, holding Vader's hand and sending energy through the Force. If their bond was alive, Vader would already be awake. 

Han exhaled. “Great, let's go! You're welcome, by the way!”

“No. I'm not leaving him here! Thanks for hitting him, _by the way!_ ” said Luke sarcastically. He wanted Han out of his sight. He had it all under control! Vader wasn't going to hurt him!

Right?

“He was going to kill you!” protested Han.

“I wasn't gonna let him!” exclaimed Luke. He sat in silence for a few seconds. “He needs a medic.”

“Why?! He'll be conscious any minute now, and I don't want to be present for that! I'm leaving.”

Luke laughed, his worry causing the Executor to shake a little. “No, remember when I told you he was injured? Anyone else might wake up after the hit, but he-” his voice cracked, "He might take longer."

“But he's Darth Vader!”

“And you're Han Solo! So? He's still human.”

Han raised an eyebrow. He didn't want to discuss Darth Vader's humanity, or Darth Vader in general. He was lucky enough to be _alive,_ and he wanted to keep it that way.

“He's still human, and he needs to see a medic, now.” repeated Luke with urgency. He was getting angry.

Han stood still. Darth Vader was human, and he had knocked him out with a stormtrooper helmet. If anyone told him that this would be his life, he wouldn't have believed it.

Luke groaned and tried to remember if the stormtroopers had commlinks that would allow him to contact Piett. They didn't, and there was no way he could drag Vader towards his medbay alone.

“Han, I need you to get that officer's commlink. He's by the end of the corridor to the right.”

Han frowned. “The one that was following us?”

“Yeah.”

“Why isn't he following us?”

Luke groaned loudly. “It doesn't matter. Get it, now!”

He sent energy through the Force towards his father again. Luke was getting tired and might pass out any moment now, but he would never leave his father in this state, especially if it was his fault. 

Han tossed the commlink at him and Luke catched it without turning around. He pressed it and spoke, ignoring Han's shock at the casual use of the Force. “Admiral Piett, send a medical squadron to the main corridor in the north-west passage. Lord Vader is heavily injured and needs urgent assistance.”

“Officer?” asked Piett.

“Do it!” shouted Luke in panic, and tossed the commlink aside. 

Luke tried taking deep breaths, and took his helmet off to rub the tears of his face.

“Are you okay?” whispered Han carefully. He didn't understand anything.

Luke didn't look at him. “What if he doesn't make it-” Han opened his mouth to speak, still feeling nothing but apathy and terror at the man currently laying on Luke. He didn't care about Darth Vader, who had tried killing him twice, but he cared about Luke.

“You know, last time I saw him he made me promise I'd keep myself alive and unharmed.” said Luke.

Luke looked at the ground, his vision watered by tears, “I thought it was ridiculous, that he was being overly-protective, but now-”

He looked at his father's unconscious body and wondered how many times Vader had to see him in this state. He understood his over-protectiveness now. He would tear the flagship apart using the Force if it meant keeping him from harm's way, even if his father was the one that caused the harm in the first place. The distinction hardly mattered anymore.

Han interrupted him. “Luke, there's people coming. We need to go.”

Luke nodded, and carefully placed Vader's head on the floor. He took one last look at him, ignoring how his entire body ached not to leave him behind, but they had to go. Han placed a hand on his shoulder and urged him to run.

* * *

Luke slept during the flight back to the base in Yavin. Playing nurse had taken all his energy from him. 

They didn't discuss what happened, and Han spent most of the time fixing the ship in silence. Very much like his father, thought Luke, who jumped head deep into ships when he needed to take his mind of things. 

The Force felt uneasy around him, so Luke didn't press. He had injured four people on a mission that was supposed to be a rescue. He had failed both the Alliance and his father.

The Empire won.

A few hours later they regrouped with the remaining rebels. Everyone in the base was silent, but nobody blamed them for not succeeding. Luke Skywalker was known for always escaping the Empire, but even heroes had their limits. 

Leia made it out of Lothal safely, and at first was pissed that Luke had attempted a rescue mission alone —Han protested that he wasn't alone, but she ignored the comment— but she was glad they were both okay.

She didn't comment on Luke's bruises around his throat, no one did, but they suspected who caused them. There's only one person that could beat Luke Skywalker, and none of them wanted to say his name outloud. 

The Alliance was already moving forward, planning several attacks in the Colonies and Leia was orchestrating a way to get the prisoners from Lothal out of the Executor.

Luke tried to meditate during the brief free time he had as a Commander, but the Force seemed to be out of grasp. 

*******

Three days later, Luke felt a presence like a punch in the gut. He fell to the ground, and Han eyed him curiously. Luke couldn't breathe; their bond was back, but Vader was still shielding himself. 

It felt as if his father's dark tendrils wrapped him in a hug, but their darkness never reached Luke entirely, because by the time the darkness should be suffocating him, Luke's brightness in the Force turned the tendrils grey.

Luke left the base without second thoughts under the excuse of getting fresh air and followed his father's presence through the woods and into a clear. 

Vader's shuttle was in the middle of a clear that seemed to go on forever, and Luke could see a dark silhouette outside. 

He swallowed, unsure of how to proceed, and walked closer. 

Luke stood there awkwardly and crossed his arms in self-defense. Vader's back was still to him, and Luke wanted to scream. He looked at the tall grass beneath his feet as if it was the most interesting object in the universe. 

He didn't know why he was hesitating.

As far as he knew, Vader didn't know it was him aboard the Executor. Then a doubt creeped in Luke’s mind: Vader had _no way_ of knowing he was on Yavin.

How did he know where to find him?

Luke bit his lip. “Father.”

Vader stopped fixing the wiring. “Yes, son?”

"Why are you here?”

Vader turned to face him and Luke shivered. Having their bond back and feeling Vader's presence so close to him was something he hadn't experienced in a long time.

Vader looked him up and down, scanning for injuries instinctively. “There is someone force-sensitive in the Rebellion. I came to warn you.”

Luke frowned. “Warn me? Why?”

“They infiltrated the Executor three cycles ago.”

Luke felt goosebumps all over his skin. He knew he couldn't fool his father forever, but that didn't mean he would stop trying. “Oh? I wasn't notified.”

“Your _friend_ was with them," he said, spitting out the word Friend like an insult, "The one with the blaster that fired at me.”

"Ah, Captain Solo.”

Vader was always eager to learn things about the Rebellion, but what always surprised him was their incompetency. The war was still going because there were too many rebels, not because they had any military experience. If the man with the blaster had been apointed Captain, the Rebellion had days left.

"This Force-sensitive is dangerous. You asked me why I was here, son. I am here to kill them.”

Luke stopped smiling. “What?” he blinked when Vader didn't answer, “Stop this, alright? I will talk to Han, see if he knows anything.”

Vader doubted the Captain knew things. “Do not cross me,” said Vader, pointing a finger at him, “They were wearing stolen stormtrooper armor and they engaged me.”

Luke didn't have to fake his worry this time. His back was still hurting from Vader's attack, but he could handle it. It's nothing bacta and rest wouldn't fix, but Vader was unconscious for _far_ too long. “Are you alright?” he whispered.

“The force-sensitive that was with him saved his life.”

“I see,” whispered Luke and looked at the ground, and coughed, “So you uh– just let them go?”

“No, your _friend_ with the blaster attacked me. I was unconscious for the rest of the day.”

Luke exhaled. It was worse than he thought.

_For the rest of the day._

Han should't have done that. “Are you alright now, father?”

Vader didn't understand why it mattered. He's been injured for two decades. “I am fine,” he lied but Luke glared at him, “I am still recovering, but I needed to warn you.”

Luke knew he didn't have to fly all the way to Yavin to warn him. He could fly into the system, open their bond and just tell him. There was something else, and Luke knew he had to ask. He wasn't sure when he would be seeing him again. “Father, why did you cut our bond for two entire months?” It came out more accusing than he intended to, but Vader didn't notice.

Vader squinted at him, suspicion and wariness rolling off in waves. “We have not been in the same system for long. How do you know that I cut the bond?”

Luke paled. He was good at getting information out of people, but he couldn't outsmart the Interrogator.

Vader took a step forwards and towered over him, tilting his mask and placing a hand on his cheek to scan for injuries. He saw a small bruise beginning to form around Luke's throat. “You could not have known I cut the bond if you weren't in the same system as me...” he repeated slowly. 

"I _was_ in the same system as you, on a mission, and I was told you were there too but–" said Luke.

He stopped when he felt someone coming. 

Han Solo had been walking for half an hour across the woods to find Luke. The excuse to get some fresh air was a lie, and he didn't want Luke wandering the woods alone. 

Fine, he got lost a couple of times, but he had finally reached a clear. He was fighting against the tall dried grass when he saw Luke. “Hey, kid! Whatcha doin in there? I've been looking for you!"

_The Captain with the blaster?_

Luke nodded, rubbing his eyes. _The Captain with the blaster._

“Lord Skywalker Jr!” teased Han, and laughed at himself for how it sounded. He kicked the tall grass to reach him, “If your Highness could stop ignoring me-!”

Vader's confusion and amusement through the Force was palpable. _I am not leaving._

_I know, but don't hurt him._

_He attacked me!_ protested Vader. It was all so simple for him, he didn't understand why his son bothered with the lives of his friends. They would all betray him.

 _Don't harm my friends in front of me._

Vader snorted through the Force.

_...don't harm my friends when I'm not looking, either._

Vader dropped his shoulders. _Fine, but I am disarming him._

_That you can do._

_Does he still possess that abnormality?_

_What?_

_The blaster._

Luke snorted. _Yeah, but he's thinking of adding a stun mode._

 _If he does not fix the barrel the only person he will stun is himself_ , _and that would be most unfortunate._

Han calmed down when the grass barely reached his knees. He jogged towards Luke, who wasn't looking at him, and then stopped on his tracks.

Darth Vader, the man who was supposed to be unconscious, was standing in front of Luke.

The Skywalkers were _ridiculous!_

He's had _enough_ of that family. Force help him if there more Skywalkers out there he didn't know of. 

"Nope!" he said under his breath and turned around to get back to the base.

His blaster flew straight out of his belt and into Vader's hand, and he didn't dare move. Luke turned to face him, even if there were still ten steps between them. “Sorry about that,” he said, tilting his head towards Vader and the blaster he was holding, “I didn't know he was coming.”

Han didn't buy that. “You nearly passed out before you left, so I came to check on you, and Leia said–”

Vader cursed through the Force as he kept inspecting the blaster. “Captain, I hope your ship is more functional than your weapons, or my son will not be boarding it any time soon.”

Luke frowned in protest and turned around to face him. “I board whatever I want, father!” he said, and turned back to face Han, but then remembered he had more things to say. He turned around again, his head spinning, “And the ship is fine. It did the Kessel run in twelve parsecs actually.”

Vader tilted his head to look at Luke. “That is impossible.” he dismissed. 

Han let out a single hysterical laugh but closed his mouth, keeping his fight or flight instincts in check. He didn't want Darth Vader trying to kill him for the third time. Once was enough to scar him for life.

Luke answered for him. “It used to be impossible, but his ship made it. I've flown it a couple times and it's good. He's working on the hyperdrive now though–”

Han didn't understand what was going on, but to be fair he stopped trying to understand Luke Skywalker minutes after they first met.

" _If_ the ship made the Kessel run in twelve parsecs, it does not a new hyperdrive." said Vader.

"Maybe not, but it needs fixing. It's a mess, like that ship you gave me two months ago. Force, I'm still surprised I didn't crash."

Vader dropped the blaster to the ground. "You should be thankful! And the exterior of ships hardly matters. The ship I gave you was fully functional and much better than anything you keep in your hangar. It is _I_ that is surprised you have not yet crashed."

Han blinked. He was being ignored by the Skywalkers, finally, so he took that as a chance to slowly walk backwards. 

Luke was fuming. "If the exteriors of ships hardly matter then why is the shuttle behind you —Han wait!— in pristine condition, huh? The flight from Lothal to Yavin isn't exactly short, Father. It should at least have a scratch."

Vader ignored the shuttle comment. It's not his fault Palpatine ordered all official imperial transports to be spotless. "Now, how do you know I come from Lothal?" he asked Luke slowly, and then pointed at Han, "And you, if it weren't because your pathetic companion saved you, I would have killed you for trespassing my flagship.”

“Pathetic companion? Luke, I thought he–"

Luke interrupted with a smile, standing between them. “We're fine now, Han. Go back to the base and forget you saw us here. I'll be right back.”

Vader wasn't going to allow that. “No. I must know the name of his companion to eradicate them. I am not interested in interrogating an entire base, unless you want me to." he said politely, but Luke didn't miss the threat in the gesture.

In Vader talk, interrogating rebels outside an imperial facility meant death if he was displeased. "They also know high clearance imperial information if they accessed my private offices.”

Luke felt Han's eyes on his back. “If there is someone force-sensitive in the Alliance, I will find them.” said Luke.

“How have they escaped you, son? I taught you everything I knew.” said Vader softly, and the Force whispered ugly words at Luke.

Everything clicked in Han's mind. “Oh...he doesn't–”, and then closed his mouth, “ _oh_.”

Han bowed several times in a hurry to Vader, and turned around to leave. Vader didn't like that, and Han was dragged backwards by an invisible hand until he kneeled in front of him. 

“Give me the name of your companion, now!” ordered Vader, pressing down with the Force. 

Han was already listing all the planets in wild space he would hide from Vader in. “I don't-”

Vader ignored him and pressed him further to the ground. “And well?”

“He's here- in the b- base-” whimpered Han, the gravity constricting his lungs.

“Names!” ordered Vader. When Han didn't answer, he pressed further until his knees started to bleed.

“FATHER! THAT’S ENOUGH!”

“I will not tolerate a force-sensitive rebel. They are dangerous.”

Han was whimpering against the gravity that was pulling him down.

Malagarr in the Outer Rim with Chewbacca, they leave tomorrow dawn.

“I KNOW WHO IT IS! STOP!”

Vader was getting impatient. He wouldn't be distracted by Luke's attempts to stop Han's suffering. “Give me a name then.”

Luke exhaled, to hell with the plan. “Luke Skywalker!”

A strong wind swept everyone off their feet. The name echoed across the clear like a ghost that would never leave. 

Vader looked at Luke, who was helping Han sit, and didn't recognize him.

The force-sensitive rebel had used the Force against him. Luke would never do that.

But he had slammed the rebel against the wall, and those bruises on Luke's throat...

“You possess crucial information to the Empire. Do the rebels know it?” 

Han was still alive but trembling like a young Tooka. Luke stood in front of him in case Vader leashed out again. The bond problem was still hanging in the air, but Vader seemed to have forgotten. “That's the first thing you have to say, really?” asked Luke.

“Do the rebels know it?!” asked Vader. He didn't have time for this. If the rebels knew of the imperial constructions in Colla IV he would have to alert the regional Governor _now_.

The million credits question. 

Han was listening very carefully. There were lines he knew Luke wouldn't cross. Luke was a Commander, everyone adored and respected him. He was a Hero. He would never betray the Alliance. 

"No, they don't know anything other than the prisoners are still captured." said Luke, and through the Force he felt his father's relief, but Han...

Han was _terrified_. It was in his eyes and in the way he slowly crawled further from them, never breaking eye contact. It worked on Vader, it might work on Luke.

“What did you see exactly?” asked Han in a trembling voice. 

Luke wanted the planet to swallow him. He wanted a vacation from the Empire and the Alliance, from Han and from his father.

He wondered what he saw exactly and how much could he tell him, considering he was a rebel. Luke paled at the distinction; wasn't he a rebel also?

“I saw crucial imperial information, as my father said.”

Vader was gleaming with pride. _Friends betray you._

Han still couldn't believe what he was seeing. Had Luke been playing spy all along? “And you haven’t reported it?” whispered Han, mortified. 

Luke didn't look at him when he answered.

That was all Han needed to hear. Luke had chosen a side long ago, and that side wasn't the Alliance. He had chosen a side the moment Vader revealed his parentage to him.

Luke might not have been a spy, but it was only years until he cracked.

Han stood to walk away, and when he heard Luke following him, he raised a hand and dismissed him. 

Vader spoke through their bond, impatient. _I cannot have him walking away. He knows too much_. If Luke hadn't been there, he would have killed him months ago.

Luke watched Han walk away, and curled his toes to avoid following him when every instinct on his body told him to. _He knows nothing._

_He knows you are a traitor._

_I'm not a traitor._

_Aren't you, son?_

Luke looked at Vader, who stood like a marionette behind him. He didn't want to answer the question because answering would mean thinking, and thinking required honesty.

He didn't want to face himself or the truth he desperately tried to avoid. 

He was Vader's son. 

How could he ever think he could pull this off? Juggling between the Alliance and his intimate connection to the enemy? 

Vader interrupted him, sensing Luke's distress. “Now that I know the information is safe with you,” he said, and Luke wondered why his father was so sure of that, “I do not have any reason to stay here.”

Luke blinked. He still didn’t know how Vader had found him if their bond only sprung to life when he reached the atmosphere. 

“There is a tracking device placed inside the Captain's ship.”

Luke frowned, but somehow he wasn't angry at knowing the Alliance had been compromised. “For how long?”

“Do not think I am so preoccupied with the rebels, son. When I gave the alarm to find the culprit, all the unauthorized ships in the hangar were given a tracking chip.”

“It wasn't unauthorised. The clearance codes checked out.” explained Luke calmly, feeling numb. 

He was too calm for everything that had happened. Han thought he had betrayed the Alliance, and half the base probably already discovered he was Vader's son.

Vader looked at him fondly. “Do you think I am stupid? The codes are regularly updated, and the officers in charge are ordered to inform of outdated ones. I knew there was a culprit before you even announced yourselves.”

He continued. “However, I must admit that you did startle an entire flagship with the false alarm. I am impressed.” 

Twenty years ago he would have done the same or something even more dramatic, but Luke didn't need to know that.

Luke huffed. “You shouldn't be. You should be pissed.”

“I am.” said Vader, calmly. “You constantly interrupting imperial activity is not something I tolerate, young one. You betrayed the trust I placed on you and I will not let that go."

Luke frowned. “Then why–”

Vader spoke through their bond. _I missed you, son._

“Your behaviour will not go unnoticed and any information you possess is already outdated,” he then said, pointing a finger at him. “I do not know how you plan on getting out of the situation you put yourself in, and I do not think you should, considering the pirate has betrayed you–”

Luke interrupted. “I'm coming with you.” 

_No._

“I am coming with you. I don't think there's much to do for me here anyway. I need to think.”

Vader blinked.

This was the moment he dreamed of seven years ago, when Luke was _so_ young and Vader thought he could turn him. He dreamed of Luke becoming Supreme Commander someday, but now–

This felt wrong. Luke's heart was with the Rebellion, as much as Vader despised that. “Luke, you must stay and deny any accusations of–"

“No!” exclaimed Luke, taking a step back, “I'm tired of playing chess between the Alliance and you. It's always _Skywalker do this, go there, do that—_ I'm tired of all of this.”

Well, if he wanted to become Supreme Commander that wouldn't go well, thought Vader, he ordered imperials around all day. 

“Do you know that I hear death threats all day?”, complained Luke, and Vader's fury in the Force activated like a light beacon, “No, not against me! Half the Rebellion _dreams_ of killing you personally, father. Do you know that some of them describe in explicit detail what they would do to you if they could?”

Vader didn't need to hear the details to know that it was gruesome. He wasn't surprised nor offended, he heard much worse from either the Jedi he hunted, or simple civilians. But they were just words, nothing but impartial subjectivity coming from someone's mouth, so why did Luke care?

“It's tough,” confessed Luke, not looking at him, “hearing all that and not being able to just say that I'd never let that happen. I can't even protest against the threats. I'm the only person in the Alliance that doesn't wish you ill, father. Well, Han doesn't wish you ill... _I think._ ”

“Those are merely opinions, I fail to understand why they bother you.” said Vader.

Luke scratched the back of his head. “It bothers me because I feel like I'm stuck in one place, glued to the ground, and I'm being pulled in opposite directions. And if you ask me where I stand, I–" his voice broke, and his gaze got lost in the grass, “I don't–"

Vader placed a hand on his shoulder. 

“I don't know anymore.” mumbled Luke, exhaling. A cold wind made his hair float, and Luke inhaled the air before the rain. 

It wasn't cloudy when he left the base, and the wind was starting to chill him. He hoped his father still kept on board the tea Luke bought during their trip to Hosnian Prime. “Can we leave now, please?”

Vader smiled. “Yes, Commander.” he said politely, and gestured dramatically to the shuttle. Luke laughed and shook his head, feeling lighter than he had in weeks. 

This time, he wasn't annoyed by the official title.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had so much fun writing this, and I too, would want some tea after that much drama. I didn't plan on this being 5k words long, but Luke and Han just neeever stop talking and it's rude to interrupt. *bangs fists against the table* and I keep melting whenever I write Luke and Vader interacting without any violence because it's so weird but also so good and I just can't deal with any of it. 
> 
> This is not the end of the drama, sadly. You can't walk away from your responsibilities, ignore your boss and go with your dad to drink tea in his shiny shuttle. or perhaps you can, because you're Luke Skywalker, dammit.


	9. What Truly Matters

They sparred in total darkness. The blue and red light illuminated the Skywalkers' silhouettes for a few seconds until they faded to black. Luke liked it better this way. Senses could be misleading, and sparring in darkness meant he only had the Force to guide him, and it worked.

Vader in a duel was ruthless, even if he was holding back. Sometimes he got distracted by Luke's— _his—_ lightsaber and Luke would manage to strike, but it didn't last long. While his son had never fought for survival, Vader had, more than once, and insisted on sparring even if Luke considered it only a physical activity. 

He enjoyed correcting Luke's posture and hits and the annoyed groans that followed. He was impatient and reckless, and it reminded Vader too much of his own past self.

But Vader wasn't young anymore and he wasn't reckless— he had faced death several times and no longer wished to laugh at it. 

Luke had to learn how to defend himself, and carrying a lightsaber with pride would not help him. 

“Swinging _my_ lightsaber at the opponent will not kill them,” explained Vader as he dodged a hit and blocked another one. If he had been there when Luke was young, he would have thought their sparring would be the equivalent of him pretending to be scared when a tiny Luke would hit his leg, and he would pretend to be hurt.

Luke snorted. “It's not _your_ lightsaber–"

“I built it–!”

Luke groaned as he blocked a hit. Their bond roared with energy, more from Luke's side than from his father's, who seemed to be yawning though the Force. He went for Luke's legs and Luke jumped and tried to strike Vader but he blocked it and threw him back. 

Luke fell to the ground and Vader pointed his lightsaber at him. It wasn't close enough to hurt him by accident, but the threat was there. “You are beaten.” announced Vader humorously.

Luke smiled in disbelief. “Let me quote, _it is useless to resist_?” He had heard his father use that before ironically, but now he had a weapon that had killed thousands pointed at his throat. 

He crawled backwards and Vader put the weapon to his side. It is then that Luke ignited his lightsaber and attacked, but Vader reacted and blocked it. 

Luke took a deep breath and allowed the Force and the energy coming from the bond to guide him. He felt something flowing through his veins and for a moment he forgot who he was, where he was, and who he was fighting against. 

His mind went blank. 

Luke's attacks grew more aggressive, and Vader had to actually put effort into defense, but he didn't strike back. The red and blue in the room merged into one singular white that bounced across the room.

“Luke?” asked Vader, trying to see what his son had in mind. It seemed that there was nothing in his mind, as the bond went eerily quiet. 

The energy that flooded Luke's veins started palpitating in his head, and he roared. His opponent was blocking all the attacks, and it angered Luke to no end. He struck again but missed.

Vader was starting to get tired. Luke was using all forms of combat combined into one, and while it was messy and disorganized and would get him killed in a heartbeat, it was effective. He was tiring him.

Vader called out to the Force but it ignored him, as it was paying all attention to his son. It was then that Luke was milimetrically close to hitting him in the shoulder.

Vader urged the Force to pay attention to him and sent Luke flying backwards against the wall, the lightsaber deactivating before it reached the ground. Before Luke could hit his head, Vader stopped him, but held him there nonetheless.

He turned the lights on with the Force and approached his son, who was breathing hard and shaking from anger. Luke eyed him carefully, still unable to recognise his opponent, but he wouldn't accept defeat. He tried to shake himself off the invisible grasp but couldn't as the Force that was keeping him there knew him far too well. 

This was personal.

The opponent knew him. 

Vader's heart fell to the floor when he looked into Luke's eyes and saw fiery orange. He missed a few breaths of his respirator as he stared back into those eyes that didn't recognize him.

“LET ME GO!”

Vader tugged at the bond, but it was unresponsive. He placed a hand on Luke's front and ignored Luke's attempts to get out of the grasp, and entered his mind as slowly as he could.

His mind was blank and all Vader saw was lava. Lava that was too familiar to him. Images of a duel long past flashed back at him, and Vader wondered why those images were in Luke's mind when they shouldn't be there. He had never shared them.

He blew the darkness away like clouds, wanting to reach Luke's light, but instead found darkness.

The Force tilted its head like a curious Tooka, trying to understand the strange situation. 

Vader went deeper, and found a small light in between all the clouds and the lava that merged itself together like hyperspace light. 

He tugged at the light, even if it burnt him, and shut his eyes when the light exploded and flooded the place again.

They both collapsed to the ground: Luke from shock, Vader from exhaustion. 

Luke opened his eyes and frowned at the ceiling. “Weren't we supposed to practice with the lights off?” he asked, his voice raspy and in pain. He touched his neck and stretched his body. It felt tense for no reason.

Vader stared at his son. His son— not the creature that inhabited him seconds ago. He realised that he was shaking, but under all the armor and clothing Luke didn't notice.

“Are you alright?” asked Luke as he moved closer. He took Vader's hand in his and looked at him with a frown, “What happened?”

Vader wondered if this was an illusion. If the dark side was playing tricks against him again. “You lost yourself for a minute and stopped answering me.”

Luke frowned. “I don't remember anything...”

Vader blinked. He didn't like the dark side. It comforted him, but he wouldn't allow it to control Luke. 

He thought too loudly, because Luke was already tugging at the bond with insistency.

_The dark side? What happened?_

_You gave in._

Luke was horrified. I _didn't–_

_You don't remember anything?_

_I don’t._

_Perhaps that is for the best._

_No! I want to know. I don't like having lagoons in my mind, especially if the dark side is involved._

_...I believe you turned for some seconds. Your eyes were orange._

_My what–?!_

_You did not recognize me._

Luke blinked slowly, trying to understand. He didn't like this. “Then why am I fine now? I thought nobody could turn back from the dark side.”

Vader thought that if there was anybody in the galaxy that could, it was Luke. His son was a product of light and darkness, it was no wonder he could switch between both so fast. “It will never happen again. This is an order.”

Luke agreed, already planning to lock himself up in Vader's personal hangar and not leave until he figured out what happened.  
  


*******

Vader had to postpone his trip twice. He didn't want Luke coming with him, because he wasn't sure that he could mantain his composure if his son went with him to Naboo. 

He also couldn't tell Luke that he was planning to go anywhere at all, because his son's inquisitive nature would make Vader tell the truth, and he wasn't ready for that. 

Luke seemed lost when Vader wasn't looking at him. Vader knew Luke must make a decision sooner than later, and he couldn't keep him in his personal quarters forever.

The boy _needed_ to fly, or his wings would tear the Executor to pieces. 

Luke was getting along with Admiral Piett, whom Vader started giving less work so he could spend time with his son. It felt awfully close to babysitting. 

Piett, on the other hand, didn't know why Vader kept a young boy in his quarters. Luke was bright and far too kind to be aboard Vader's flagship, or to be near Darth Vader at all. Piett wanted to ask questions, but he valued his life.

They were having midday tea upon Luke's insistence in Darth Vader's personal rooms. Piett was already so immune to his own nerves that he barely noticed them anymore.

The boy had insisted on making the tea himself and then handed Piett a wrapped box. Piett took it with a frown, almost expecting it to be a bomb. He wouldn't have been surprised: whoever this boy was, if he had any connections to Darth Vader, he would breathe danger sooner or later.

"What is this?" asked Piett, keeping the box at distance. 

Luke grinned and crossed his arms. "Open it. It won't explode, I promise." 

Piett wondered how the boy knew his exact thoughts and sent a silent prayer that the boy didn't have magical powers like Vader. 

Luke was tapping his feet against the floor in anticipation. When Piett opened the box and looked at him for guidance, Luke urged him to place the object on the table. 

He cut a piece of the cake and handed it to Piett. "It's not poison, look." He scooped a small piece with a spoon and ate it to reassure him. 

Piett did the same. If it was poison, it tasted delicious. "What is it?"

"It's my grandmother's recipe. It tastes better than I remembered,” said Luke, and then stood up as he remembered, "Oh! The tea, so sorry."

"Nothing to worry about." His life was already strange enough.

Luke poured them tea and Piett spoke. "Where did you get–"

"I asked the dining hall to see if they could make one. I told them the recipe and, if I'm being honest, I didn't think they'd get it right, but they did a good job. I think I'll thank them later, wanna come?"

The poor chefs must have been terrified if someone using Vader's personal codes asked for a customized meal. "It is most unusual. What planet is this from, sir?"

"Tatooine." said Luke through clenched teeth, and Piett's eyes widened. "It's not all desert and slavery there, you know. The local gastronomy is very nice, if only the Empire didn't erase all cultures that aren't strictly Coruscanti."

"I'm sorry?"

Luke sighed. "You might be, but others aren't."

"The Empire does not do such things." Truth be told, Piett didn't know if the Empire erased cultures or not, but he wouldn't betray it. "What else do you disagree with on _our_ Empire?" he asked, testing the boy's loyalty.

If he was in close proximity to Lord Vader, he must be loyal. Or else Piett didn't understand how he was still alive and eating cake in the Empire's Supreme Commander's room. 

Force, how did he get in this situation, again?

Luke laughed. "Don't get me started."

"No, I insist."

The temperature in the room dropped a few degrees as the boy stared him up and down. "Admiral, I believe if I speak more Lord Vader himself might know."

Luke knew if he spoke about the Empire he would get angry, and not only he wanted to avoid anger as of late after the sparing incident, but he also didn't want to get angry because his father would notice. And Luke wanted Piett alive. 

"Are you like him too, sir?" asked Piett. 

Luke smiled politely. The question weighted on his mind as he tried to ignore the Force's curiosity at his own strange reaction.

Was he like Vader? Of course not, they were entirely different people.

Luke realized that the darkness he felt during the sparing incident might have been because of Vader. Being in so close proximity to him might have spilled some of his father's darkness into him. 

"What do you mean?" he asked.

Piett swallowed. "Do you use the Force as Lord Vader does, sir?" 

Luke said no and felt Piett's relief through the Force that he claimed he didn't have. 

It was then that the door swung open and Luke dropped his cup of tea to the floor, but managed to catch it with the Force before it spilled completely. 

Piett quickly stood up and vowed, ignoring the demonstration of the Force. "My Lord, I trust the briefing has gone well."

Vader ignored him as he stared at Luke. _What are you doing?_

_We were having tea._

_I see that, but why are you nervous?_

_I'm not nervous._

_Son._

_Father?_

Vader sighed audibly. Perhaps he owed Kenobi an apology for putting up with his own shenanigans as a teenager. 

Nevermind, he did not just have that thought. Having Luke so close again was making him re-live his own youth.

"Admiral, I trust you have–" He was about to ask the only responsible adult as to what they were talking about that had caused Luke's nervousness, but he saw the cake and froze in place.

It was a vague dreamy image of something he remembered from a different life. He looked at Luke and pointed at the cake. _What is this?!_

_I thought you'd know what it is._

_I know what it is, but what is it doing here and how did you acquire it?_

Piett watched his commanding officer silently yet very accusingly point at a cake while the boy stared at him. Luke sat back on his chair and continued eating.

"Admiral, did you bring it to him?" asked Vader.

Piett had cold sweat on his hands. Whoever this boy was and whatever his connection to his commanding officer was, Piett didn't want to know.

"No, my Lord. He ordered it as a customized meal using your personal access codes, sir."

Vader didn't care that Luke had somehow learnt his personal codes _again_. He was more concerned that Luke had left the quarters without supervision.

"It's nothing serious–" protested Luke, "I just went to the dining halls and spoke to the chefs. They agreed to bring it in, that's it. It's not like I've killed the Emperor or anything." he said automatically, used to that being a joke within the Alliance.

Nobody laughed.

Piett looked at him in horror, and his father crossed his arms. _Do not speak of the Emperor in front of imperial authorities in such a way._

Luke made a face, and took another bite of the cake with a spoon. _We have said worse about Palpatine._

_I do not mean myself. The Admiral._

_Oh._ "I would never wish his Royal Highness any harm, it was a joke." apologized Luke, and Piett cringed. Nobody called the Emperor that. " _But_ if something happened to his Royal Evilness I wouldn't cry about it."

Vader shut his eyes. Piett, on the other hand, was scandalized. "You sound awfully a lot like a rebel, sir."

He was expecting the boy to protest and pledge his loyalty to the Empire and its Supreme Commander, but Luke just shrugged and continued eating.

Piett turned his back and spoke to Darth Vader in hushed tones. "My Lord, this is unacceptable behaviour. Shall I schedule a prison cell for him?"

"No." said Vader. _WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?!_

"An execution, then?" asked Piett, and Luke stared and answered back. _It's nothing serious._

_He wants to execute you._

_He doesn't. The Empire does._

_I believe I do not see the difference or why it matters._

_...I believe I don't, either._

_What?_

Luke stood up and walked to Piett, handing him the cake. "No need for any executions, Admiral. Here take this, and I apologize if I have startled you. You will go on with your day and forget today's conversation with me." he said calmly.

Piett repeated what he said, nodded, vowed to Vader and left the room. Once he was outside, he frowned at the cake and didn't understand why he was outside Lord Vader's personal quarters, as it was the last place he wanted to be in. 

Vader spoke. "You are overdoing it."

"He denied imperial genocides! Especially the ones in Tatooine!" exclaimed Luke.

"It is his duty to deny them, and they are not genocides."

"How can you say that?! About Tatooine, of all places!"

"That planet means nothing to me."

"How can you say that?!" 

"The Tuskens took your grandmother. They deserved death."

Luke shook his head, not believing what he was hearing. "No....they–"

"It is final."

"It's not final! Stop telling me it's final when you refuse to accept something you've done! I'm not asking you for promises, but I need to know that you at least regret it."

Vader didn't think twice before answering. "I don't."

Luke nodded slowly. 

"Son, it hardly matters–"

"It does, to me. Please leave."

"These are my quarters." said Vader humorously.

"Which you never use unless I'm here. Leave."

Vader approached and took Luke's face in one hand and caressed his hair softly. "I will be in the hangar, join me whenever you please."

Luke didn't want to look at him. "You're letting me walk unsupervised?" 

"Yes. You're not a child anymore." he said, as he caressed Luke's cheek with such softness Luke barely felt it. His hand stopped. "Even if you act like one."

Luke rolled his eyes.

"I will be in the hangar."

And with that he left the room, leaving Luke with two cups of tea that had gone cold.

*******

Luke didn't go to the hangar. He stayed in his quarters and meditated. His father had insisted on teaching him meditation even if it didn't personally work on him, but he claimed it would increase his connection to the Force, and unlike Vader, Luke enjoyed it. 

He left his quarters to go for a walk. Usually he enjoyed midnight walks and walking out of an Alliance base to feel the cold air of the night of whatever planet they were in. He enjoyed meditation in the forests, in front of lakes or even in planets with desertic climates that nobody wanted to go to. 

But he wasn't on a planet now. He was aboard an Imperial cruiser that seemed not to follow any sleep schedules. People walked around like droids in the middle of the night. It was a very different image than inside an Alliance base, where even High Command understood the importance of mantaining everyone's humanity despite their number of people. 

Luke walked down the corridors in a slow pace, ocasionally stopping to look at mouse droids or wake up officers that were falling asleep. He didn't understand how people spent their days locked inside a ship where screams were more common than laughter.

He sometimes laughed to himself just to hear the sound again, and Vader would tug at the bond to demand if he was in any danger.

His father didn't seem to sleep even upon Luke's insistence. He didn't even know where he was now, in the middle of the night, and it wasn't the hangar. There was only so much that could be built or fixed, and Luke wondered if fixing things was his father's way of apologizing to himself for everything he had destroyed.

Vader was in an abandoned corridor that had a tall viewport, and stood like a statue, staring into nothingness. Luke approached him and sat on the ground by his feet.

"You should be in your quarters." announced Vader. He sounded tired, too.

"I'm not a child, and there's nothing to do anyway."

"You miss it."

There was no need to say what was it that Luke missed. He missed the stars, the ships, the adrenaline that came with a take off. He still saw TIE fighters everyday, but in a much different setting. 

"When I was your age I could barely be held back from flying. I jumped into every ship or speeder I could find." said Vader.

"That is coming from someone that piloted a ship at age nine. I believe you." said Luke.

"Who told you that?"

Luke chose his next words carefully. "Anakin Skywalker is a popular name, father. I've heard all stories about him. There are people in the Alliance that knew him personally, and some still grieve him. He was a legend."

"He was reckless and stupid." said Vader automatically. "He must be forgotten."

"That's what you think. I think he was a good man." said Luke, and Vader was silent.

Luke raised his head to look at him. He marvelled at how he could read his father's emotions even with the mask, and without using the Force. He was sulking now, still battling his inner beliefs of a constructed new identity.

"And I'm proud to be his son. People that knew him say I look like him." said Luke, and Vader clenched his jaw. "But they say I don't act like him, at all. I guess you can't expect children to be a copy of their parents, but–"

Vader interrupted him. "You are."

Luke stood up and tried to face him, but Vader didn't move. Vader merely blinked and whispered. "The people that told you that are right. You are not like _him_ at all. You are like your mother."

"How was she?" whispered Luke. Vader hardly ever spoke about her. 

In the Force Vader was tearing through chains and the agony that came with remembering. "She was determined, ruled a planet at age fourteen, and by twenty-five several attempts on her life had been made but she was not afraid."

Luke thought that was worrying, to say the least, but he knew all of this already. 

"She loved her family and appreciated the commodities of a normal life and insisted on having you at home in Naboo."

"But she was a queen, why didn't she–"

"She did not care for the money she had. Most of the sum went to charities one way or another."

Luke smiled. "Most senators keep it to themselves..."

"She worked closely against corruption. No one could get her to do anything she was morally against."

Luke huffed. "Sounds like someone from a fairytale."

Vader smiled sadly. "She was."

Yet he still chose to harm her and kill her.

 _You didn't kill her. It was Palpatine._ said Luke through the bond after sensing that Vader was starting to form a tornado. 

Vader marvelled at how blindlingly Luke trusted his word. He only suspected Palpatine killed her after he discovered that their son was alive. All he had was suspicions, yet Luke believed him.

"I caused her harm."

Luke sighed. "I'm still alive. And from what you've told me I'm sure that if she loved you she wouldn't want you, _us_ , to spend our time thinking about death while we have each other. We're a family, father, that should be enough."

It was more than enough for both of them. A star amid the darkness started glowing brighter.

"But we still must work on your dark side problem, Luke. There are far bigger things waiting for you than giving yourself in to anger." said Vader.

Luke tried his hardest to ignore the irony of that coming from a self-called Sith Lord, even if he disagreed that Vader was one. 

“I am a big deal in the Alliance too, you know.” said Luke.

”I do not doubt it, you are a child of mine.”

Luke smiled. “Yeah whatever, don't think too highly of yourself.”

Vader finally turned to look at him. ”I would not dream of it.”

* * *

Han was _not_ having a good time.

One of the Alliance's best Commanders and pilots had gone missing, and he was the last person that saw him. He told the story dozens of times already, yet he still couldn't believe the actual truth.

He should have known this was going to happen. 

He should have known the moment he saw Luke with Vader on that clear that Luke had chosen family over duty. 

A friend needed Luke's help and he had to leave immediately, that was the cover story he provided to High Command. 

He didn't understand why he was covering for Luke if he wouldn't come back; High Command tried comming him, but he never picked up.

Luke's rooms were still intact and his X-Wing was still in the hangar, even if Chewbacca insisted on covering it to avoid damage.

Han entered the hangar where the pilots prepared for take-off for an intel mission. He heard Chewbacca arguing with a pilot from the ground and approached them. "Hey, what's going on here?!"

The pilot looked at him from the X-Wing. "Is he yours? Calm your pet down, man."

Chewbacca nearly jumped into the cockpit but Han stopped him. "Who the hell are you?!"

"I'm about to take-off. Tell the animal to calm down."

Han asked Chewie what happened, and he understood why Chewbacca was furious. Now, he was too. "You! Take back what you said about Luke." 

The pilot snorted. "What for? It's not like he's here to defend himself, isn't he?"

"What is your problem?"

"Luke Skywalker and his fanclub are my problem, Solo. Stop acting like you're on his side."

Han mumbled. "I'm not–"

"Luke is irresponsible, and by the way, I've never bought your cover-up story. Is he even coming back?"

The engines in the hangar roared. "It's not of your business. What's your name?"

The pilot eyed him curiously, and Han wanted to rip those eyes off his head. "Keer."

"Never heard of you. But listen to me kid, stop talking trash or I'm letting the Wookie loose, and trust me you don't want that."

Chewie was throwing daggers at Han but didn't say anything. 

"There are bigger things happening in the galaxy than Luke Skywalker," said Keer, and Han had to bite his inner cheek to stop from saying how wrong he was. The galaxy depended on a Skywalker, or perhaps both of them, and Force help him that the Skywalkers couldn't be depended upon. "If he's gone, he's gone. I don't care, but if he comes back, he's not welcome here."

"Says who? You?"

Keer shrugged and turned on the engines. "Good afternoon, Solo. Wookie."

"His name is–!"

Chewbacca roared something Han didn't understand and they watched the X-Wings fly off to the sky. All ships flew into the atmosphere, but Keer's ship flew right.

"I don't like this," said Han, and Chewbacca agreed. "He's supposed to follow them. This is an intel mission, right?"

Chewbacca nodded and said that he was going after him, and Han couldn't stop him even if he tried. 

* * *

Two weeks had passed since his commlink last beeped, and Luke concluded that the Alliance had stopped looking for him.

He was in Vader's private hangar, again. It was late at night but since neither he nor his father slept much they were passing the time in silence, and Vader had access to the latest ships and all the possible pieces he needed to build things from scratch. 

What else could Luke possibly want?

He was head deep in a container of spare mechanical parts, looking for a compressor to finish an engine they were working on. "Have you ever seen a protocol droid?" he asked, and his voice came muffled from inside the metallic box.

Vader was holding him up by his legs so he wouldn't fall. "There are no protocol droids there."

Luke wanted to laugh, but from his current position it was hard to exhale. "No, not here–" he said and grunted when he couldn't reach anymore, "Pull me lower."

Vader did as he was told, even if he was worried that Luke might get hurt. "I have seen many protocol droids. They are common." he said.

"Oh, good. I have one in the Alliance, but you would hate him."

"Most likely."

Luke smiled. "No, I mean it. He's so annoying." he said with a groan, and finally found the compressor. "Hey, why do you keep everything in one place? All of this could be organized and I wouldn't have to hang like a Kowakian monkey."

Vader blinked. "It is spare material. I hardly ever open this."

Excuses. "I can see that," said Luke, "Okay, get me out." 

Vader started slowly lifting him up by his legs, and he was using more concentration that when he flew in battle. 

Luke continued speaking. "Yeah so this droid, he's fluent in over six million forms of communications–"

Vader spoke through the bond. _Be quiet. I am concentrating._

Luke rolled his eyes. _I am very sorry to disturb you, my Lord._ "As I was saying, he's fluent in binary and he's quite useful when he wants to be, though I think he's afraid of Leia."

_The Princess of Alderaan?_

"Yeah, she once threatened to throw him into hyperspace if he didn't shut up."

_That is unsafe. Were you aboard that ship?! If she opened the–_

"I wasn't!" he reassured with a sigh, feeling the blood run down to his head again. He was almost out of the container. "But he's told me the story so many times I have memorized it. I say to him, Threepio you can't—"

Vader lost his grip on him and Luke fell down.

Everything happened fast.

Vader used the Force to levitate Luke and pull him out of the container slowly, ignoring his own shaky hands. Luke was put on the ground and Vader kneeled to inspect for injuries.

Luke was still hyperventilating from the scare. He felt hands all around his head. "ARE YOU INJURED?!" shouted Vader. 

Luke winced at the loud voice. "No! I'm fine. What did you do?!"

Vader blinked but still stared at his son like he was bleeding to death. "What?" Now that his head was clear, Vader remembered. "You said that protocol droid's name was Thr–"

"C-3PO, yeah." confirmed Luke, and Vader froze in place. From all the things that have happened in his odd life, this was beyond his comprehension. He thought C-3PO was deactivated in some Coruscant workshop. None of this made any sense, the last time he saw Threepio was before Luke was born...

"Does he know your name?" asked Vader, realising how stupid that sounded.

"Of course he knows my name."

"Has he had a memory wipe?"

"Yeah, I think so." asked Luke, and Vader stood up and started pacing. This wasn't happening to him. "Did you know him?"

"How did he come in possession of the Organas?" demanded Vader.

"I don't know. Why, did you build him?"

Vader spared a glance at him and then continued pacing, crossing his arms in self-defense. He didn't want to have this conversation.

Luke, on the other hand, beamed with the light of a thousand suns. "YOU DID! I CAN'T BELIEVE THIS!" he laughed. "Force, how did you– why? Tell me everything!"

Vader ignored him but Luke ran to stand beside him and placed his hands on Vader's shoulders, stopping him from pacing around. Vader gave in. "I built him when I was a child on Tatooine. He also belonged to your mother."

Luke looked off into the distance. "Force, he's a Skywalker...?"

"No! Do not be foolish. He is just a droid."

Luke smiled and Vader knew he would have to hear his son calling Threepio a Skywalker for the rest of his life.

They dropped the subject upon Vader's insistence and continued working on the engine. After some minutes of silence and regaining their breath from the accident, Luke realized something and threw the screwdriver to the ground. He looked at his father like he was seeing ghosts. "I think I dropped the compressor when you let me fall."

They had to lower Luke into the container all over again. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Luke is spoiled and I think has become rather arrogant. I didn't like that he openly criticized the Empire in front of the Executor's Admiral, even if said Admiral is a nice guy. I don't think the Luke from Chapter 1 would do something like this. "What was he thinking about!?", you might ask and throw popcorn at me. Wait, let me catch it. Here we go, and what a good question: he's Luke Skywalker, Force knows what's on his mind. He has a lot of thinking to do, alright? Is he doing it? Probably not.
> 
> 2) Luke is not a teenager here. He is 22-23, and a respectable Commander and pilot. Why does he act like a child then? Go figure. Perhaps he is still a child.
> 
> 2.1— In Vader's eyes he is definitely still a child. 
> 
> 3) "The Empire" is a noun, "imperial" is an adjective. Luke doesn't see the difference. Not in the gramatical sense, of course, but rather that Vader says Piett personally doesn't want Luke dead, but the Empire's policies would punish him if he badmouthed the Emperor. Luke doesn't see the difference, and honestly, can you blame him? How f*cked up is that?
> 
> 4) Luke's accusations about the Empire are just my headcanons of what might be going on in the galaxy. I'm not sure about Tatooine, but there's definitely been a genocide somewhere in the GFFA.
> 
> 5) This is crack treated seriously, but mostly just crack with a plot.


	10. The Aura Between Us

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke Skywalker can and will make friends everywhere he goes, but it doesn't mean that his father approves. Today on Vader's quora search: "How do I stop my dear sweet boy from kidnapping a stormtrooper?", and Everyone's answers are: "You can't. He's Luke Skywalker. Apples and trees and all that. You should send Obi-Wan an apology card for all the bs he had to put up with when you were younger."....... It's me. I'm Everyone.

Luke watched his father in awe, and watched and the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet in terror.

He had to pinch himself to understand that there wasn't any difference between those two.

His father _was_ Darth Vader.

Sometimes Luke snuck out to the main hangar to analyze imperial activity. It was out of habit, because he couldn't ignore the itch that urged him to do something. He couldn't sit around all day in Vader's hangar when there was so much going on in the galaxy.

Or so he supposed.

Luke didn't know what was going on, and as a Commander whose duty was to be informed and inform others, he felt like there was a hole in his brain where all the information should be. 

It was one of those days when the Empire reduced itself to routine. Luke strode peacefully across the corridors, and stopped to place his elbows on a viewport that gave view to the main hangar. He enjoyed watching the ships take off, and if he concentrated hard enough, he could ignore the Empire's symbols on them.

A voice interrupted him. "What are you doing, sir?"

Luke turned around and saw a stormtrooper staring at him. "I'm just looking," he said with a polite smile, "I've never seen so many ships in one hangar." 

The stormtrooper hilted their helmet to get a better look at him. "You're not from around here, are you? I can feel it sir. You must leave this area immediately."

Luke smirked. He's never had he opportunity to talk to stormtroopers before— they usually just shot at each other. "How do you know?" 

The stormtrooper shrugged. "I don't, but you shouldn't be here."

"Do you recognize me?" 

"No, sir. This is exactly why I know you shouldn't be here."

Luke didn't answer, instead turning around to watch the hangar. The stormtrooper walked to stand by his side and spoke again. "I insist, sir. You cannot be here."

Luke sighed. "You will go on with your day and forget this conversation." he mumbled and rubbed his eyes, hoping to have some peace. For a ship this big, it felt too crowded.

He then turned to check if the trooper was gone, but found a weapon pointing at him. "Sir, you must leave."

Luke raised his arms. The mind trick didn't work? "Easy there, I don't mean any harm."

"Then leave. Protocol says any unidentified people must be interrogated." 

Luke sensed anger and intent coming from the stormtrooper, but he had an idea. "What's your name?"

"GT-0682."

"No, your nickname?" asked Luke.

The stormtrooper wondered how an imperial officer knew that stormtroopers had nicknames. No one ever bothered. "Two."

Luke nodded. "Two, I'm aware of the protocol, but can you answer another question for me? You said you could feel that I'm not from around here. Does this happen to you often?"

Two thought about it for a moment, distrustful of Luke. "It's inconvenient, but I cannot explain my actions to my superiors. It's an intuition."

Luke nodded. "I understand. Do you know more people like this, here?"

"No. Maybe there are, but we can't talk about this. I shouldn't even be talking to you, sir."

"What do you mean?" asked Luke, frowning.

The stormtrooper leaned closer to whisper. "The Jedi had these powers and they're being killed. I don't want to be killed."

Luke's heart fell to the floor. He had to do something. "Are you happy here, Two?"

"I was raised here, sir. I am content and my duty is to serve the Empire and his Majesty."

Luke clenched his jaw and placed a delicate hand on Two's shoulder. "Answer my question, please. I've heard that sentence millions of times, and I'm not from around here, you're right." he said as calmly as he could, his heart beating in his ears considering what he wanted to do, "You can trust me and speak freely in front of me."

Two didn't know why, but they trusted the weird boy. The silence stretched for far too long, but Luke waited, it's not like he had anything to do. He looked for security cameras in the corridor, and used the Force to slowly point them at the wall. 

Two felt tingles at that, but didn't say anything as it happened often in the Executor. "It is my duty to serve the Empire."

Luke avoided rolling his eyes. "Duty can be abandoned." he protested, and Two took a step back. "You could be a farmer in the Outer Rim, a mechanic in Coruscant, open a shop in Naboo, anything you want."

Two stared at him. The weird boy spoke nonsense, but he wasn't dangerous. "That is not possible for us unless you change divisions. Travel would be possible if I became a cold weather assault trooper."

Luke's heart broke. "Have you ever left this ship, Two?" he asked, squinting his eyes and crossing his arms.

"No, sir. It is my duty to serve the Empire."

Luke shut his eyes and took a deep breath. His father would be pissed at him, but he couldn't ignore the situation when he had the power to do something. "My name is Luke. I know this sounds crazy, but you're Force-sensitive."

"I'm not a Jedi–"

"No, you're not. I'm not saying that," he sighed and decided to go straight to his plan, "I'm saying that I can get you out of here, safely."

"You can appoint me to the cold weather assault division?" asked Two, and Luke's heart shattered again at their enthusiasm.

Two must have thought that was freedom. 

"No, I can get you out of this ship forever. You can be free, start a new life wherever you want."

Two dropped their gun to the floor. "You don't serve the Empire."

Luke shook his head and smirked. "No, but I'm not dangerous. You saw me staring at ships: if I had infiltrated the flagship I wouldn't be walking around, would I?"

He knew it was wrong, but he didn't care.

"Why do you insist, sir? There's thousands of stormtroopers on board."

"I know, but you ran into me. I can help you." said Luke, and then decided to just confess the truth if he wanted to gain Two's trust. "I'm also Force-sensitive. I know how you feel, what you feel. You're tired." 

"I am not, sir." said Two, picking up their gun from the floor, "I will go now, as you wished."

Two started walking away, and Luke tried following them.

"Please don't follow me, sir."

Luke stopped on his tracks. Having a Force-sensitive that wasn't his father around was strange but it was _new_. "Okay. Have a good day, Two." 

Two stopped at the strange use of words and Luke smiled sadly. He didn't even know what Two's division was, but judging by the fact that Two had never left his father's flagship, it was probably patrol. 

His father's flagship.

His father was the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet, how could he allow this?

The Executor was a floating prison.

How _could_ he _?_

*******

Luke wanted to talk about Two, but he was used to speaking to his father, not to Darth Vader. Nobody in the galaxy oposed his orders, and Luke was about to question his handling of the entire Imperial Fleet. He didn't know how far his privilege as Vader's son went. 

But he had to.

If he didn't say something thousands of troopers that never left any imperial flagships would rot in them, and that was no way to treat a life.

When his father entered the room Luke couldn't even greet him, and Vader stopped when Luke didn't acknowledge his presence. In the Force Luke was clouded by anxiety and Vader couldn't make out any other emotions.

He asked him what he was doing.

"Reading." answered Luke, not looking up from his datapad. He had been reading the same paragraph for over thirty minutes.

Vader frowned. "You don't read."

"Now I do."

His son was deflecting questions, and every inch of his being wanted to demand the truth, but if the last seven years had taught him anything is that Luke didn't respond well to anger.

Vader chose not to say anything and tried working, but Luke's silence and coldness towards him was distracting, like a scream that never stopped.

Meanwhile Luke wanted to crawl out of his skin, out of the room and out of the Executor. He felt sick being in the same room as someone that allowed people to be treated like slaves.

Not meaning to, he exhaled loudly and that caught Vader's attention.

"Tell me what is wrong." boomed Vader, and Luke didn't miss the threat in his voice. He didn't know where to begin, and he didn't even know where his lightsaber was. He pressed on his temples— since when was he worried for his own safety around his father? 

"How does someone apply to the cold weather assault division?" blurted Luke.

Vader was speechless. "What?"

"How does someone apply–"

"I heard you the first time. Why do you inquire?" asked Vader, observing Luke. He hated the tension in his shoulders, so similar to the first year of them knowing each other, when Luke never let his guard down around him. His posture was the same now. 

Luke sighed. "Just answer the question, please."

"They must pass a five year training and then the candidates with the highest scores are put in a waiting list. When there is a vacancy, they enter the division. Why do you inquire?" repeated Vader.

"So it's basically impossible to get in."

Vader blinked. The prisoners in the torture cells were more cooperative. “Do you want to join the cold weather assault division? I will put a–“

”No!”

Vader blinked again and allowed himself to breathe for a few seconds, trying to process his son's strange behaviour. “Very well, do as you wish.” 

Luke knew what Vader was doing; Leia often tried using inverse psychology on him.

Vader wanted him to talk.

Fine, he would talk.

“I met a stormtrooper today.”

Vader turned to look at him, raising an eyebrow. _All the fuss was for this?_

”I heard you. And yes, I talked to him and turns out that he was raised here, on the Executor. He's an adult and has never left the ship.” explained Luke slowly, trying to gather enough strength to stop being afraid of Vader's infamous temper, “His dream is to be appointed to the cold weather assault division so he can travel. That's what freedom means to him.” he said through clenched teeth, hoping to hit a spot.

Vader was silent for a very long time.

Luke started shaking ever so lightly so Vader wouldn't notice.

“Do you want me to appoint him to the division?” asked Vader, his voice hesitant because he still didn't know what Luke wanted.

Luke stared at him with a frown, in disbelief at his father's oblivion. “No! You don't see anything wrong with this? That these people don't know freedom?”

”Stormtroopers were raised to serve the Empire and it is their duty. If your new acquaintance wants to enter the division, say his number and he will start tomorrow.”

Luke shook his head, sighing loudly. “It's not what this is about! How can you, of all people aboard, tolerate this? This ship is a flying prison! These people have never touched land!”

“What do you want me to do?” pleaded Vader. He was long past trying to understand what Luke was trying to say, but if his son wanted something, _anything_ , he would give it to him.

Vader kneeled in front of Luke and the boy barely suppressed a sob. “What are you doing?! Get up!”

The image was disconcerting and not something he wanted to see again. Vader arose but stood still like a statue. “I want you to understand that this is wrong, father. I don't want you to kneel, or obey me, I want you to understand.”

Vader was silent.

”How can you tolerate this?” asked Luke with a pained sigh.

”You cannot change things, son. You must understand this. Some circumstances are unavoidable.”

Luke snorted in disgust. “Slavery, you mean?”

Vader flinched, and Luke knew that he crossed a line. Vader's presence in the Force shifted uncomfortably, swinging between anger and hurt. “You do not know what you speak of.” he said through clenched teeth, barely restraining his anger. 

“I do. My grandmother was born into slavery, and I'm sure she wouldn't want to see his son commanding slaves all day.” he said as gently as he could. It hurt Luke to say this. It hurt so much. He had to press his tongue to the top of his mouth to avoid crying. 

He didn't need to see his father's face to know that he had shattered him to pieces. Those pieces now laid broken in his own hands. He was the only person in the galaxy that could break Darth Vader, but doing so also meant breaking his own heart to pieces.

Vader stared at him, his presence in the Force shaking in pain and confusion. He pleaded slowly, “You are all I have.” 

The silence was excruciating.

Luke swallowed to avoid the tears that were threatening to spill. He hated doing what was right, but choosing selfishness would mean that thousands of people would never touch fresh grass.

“Do you want to overthrow the Emperor? You could do whatever you wished, son.” pleaded Vader.

Luke flinched in horror. “I don't want that!” he exclaimed, his voice cracking.

”What do you want? Tell me and it will be yours,” begged Vader, trying very hard not to kneel. "I will not lose you, Luke."

”It's not about what I want. It's about what's right, father. And what you're condoning is not.”

Vader blinked. “You disagree with my management of the Imperial Fleet? This is what the conversation is about?” 

Luke nodded, relieved. Vader's presence in the Force calmed down. “What else do you disagree on?” asked Vader, crossing his arms.

Luke didn't understand the tone of voice. It was said too fast, too aggressive yet too confused. He blinked and stared at the ceiling with a frown. ”You know that I disagree with the _entire_ Empire.”

”Yet it has never affected you. Why was that stormtrooper special?”

”They all are, you just choose to ignore that there are real people behind those masks.”

Vader noticed the comparison, and that perhaps Luke wasn't talking about stormtroopers at all. “What shall I do? Do I celebrate their birth days with them?”

It wasn't the time for sarcasm. “No, I'm not saying that.”

”Perhaps you should be Commanding Officer, after all. You could start tomorrow.”

Luke snorted. “No thank you.”

”Then stop complaining if you do not want to change anything.”

”I'm not the one supposed to be changing things!”

”Aren't you, _Commander_?”

Luke stopped. 

Vader hadn't called him that since he arrived a month ago, not even as a joke.

He was speechless.

The reminder that he still held his title was unnerving, and even more since he was arguing with the Supreme Commander of the Imperial Fleet himself, who was offering him the entire galaxy and a chance to change the Empire. High Command would kill for this position, if they didn't kill him first for refusing.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He no longer wanted to ignore the itch inside his heart, and how his hands still shook on instinct whenever he saw armed stormtroopers.

He missed the thrill of seeing the Empire crumble down piece by piece, of knowing that in his heart, despite all the terror and destruction the Rebellion caused, it was for a good cause.

He belonged.

Vader knew the answer before Luke opened his mouth. He didn't say his son's title for nothing. It was time he did something productive; when he was Luke's age he barely had a few hours of rest, let alone a month and a half of doing _nothing_. 

When Luke opened his eyes Vader saw someone he hadn't seen in a very long time, only in his dreams. Luke's eyes were determined and ambitious, like he would crush anyone that opposed him. The blue in his eyes turned icy and glinted with hope, as if his own mind gave him fuel to live. 

"It's time."

*******

Luke decided to leave within two days, because upon his father's insistence, he needed to take his time to choose a suitable ship.

Luke put off thinking about where to fly first, and he didn't want to think about what chaos awaited him in the Alliance.

He had been missing for over a month and left no messages, and still didn't know if Han told anybody about his relation to Vader.

Force, Han.

Their friendship still hung by some inexplicable strings, and Luke knew that if Han managed to forgive him, he could even forgive the Emperor for his atrocities. 

Luke still had one thing to do before leaving. He would be lucky if Vader only gave him the silent treatment for what he was about to do.

Luke got up from the sofa with a jump, fake yawning. "I'm taking the stormtrooper with me. Just thought you should know." he said under his breath and headed to the door.

Vader nearly jumped from the statement. _NO!_

Luke crossed his arms. "I've already made up my mind, father. You should be grateful I'm telling you at all."

"You were not going to?" asked Vader, still surprised even after all these years.

"No, because I knew what you would say and–"

"Do as you wish. I believe not even I could stop you."

Luke smiled. "Thanks! I'll go find him."

Vader strode to stop him. "Son, you must realize there are thousands of stormtroopers on board. I cannot let you walk unsupervised, shall I order the Admiral to–"

"This one's Force-sensitive."

Vader stopped. He didn't think this was possible, he should send all stormtroopers to testing–

"You will not do such a thing, father. Leave them alone."

"Force-sensitives in the military? Are you certain?" asked Vader, and Luke nodded. "I am coming with you."

"No you're not! I want to bring him to the Alliance, he cannot know we're related." explained Luke, pointing a finger between them.

Vader pointed a finger at him. "I will follow you closely. This is not up for discussion."

Luke rolled his eyes and agreed reluctantly. They left the rooms and Luke reached into the Force, bumping into his father's presence by his side, and tried finding Two, but searching for one presence in a ship of thousands was like swimming in mud water.

Vader noticed that Luke was struggling and spoke through the bond.

His father's voice, not Vader's, was warm and bittersweet inside Luke's mind because he has never heard it with his own ears. _You're desperate to cling into any presence, not something particular. You must concentrate._

Luke concentrated on his memories of Two, remembering his fears, his curiosity, his posture, anything that the Force could identify as him.

Vader sensed Luke's presence growing stronger, and he smiled proudly. _You must let go and feel the Force inside you. It will lift you and clear your mind from obstacles._

Luke was lost inside a mechanic's mind in the engine control rooms. _I can't._

_Wrong. Your mind is elsewhere: stop thinking, your problems can wait. Forget I'm here, forget about your life and focus on the Force._

_I'm scared._

_I'm here, nothing will happen to you. Trust me, and trust the Force, son._

Luke finally shattered and let go of all his anxieties and walls, and Vader winced from the raw energy that exploded in front of him. If the stormtrooper was force-sensitive, he would have felt it even from the other side of the ship.

Luke swam in the Force and everyone in the ship felt a chill ran down their spines, and turned around on instinct to see if Vader was coming. 

The musky waters became clearer, and Luke, now but a mere ghost without a name in the Force, could feel a strong presence next to him, and at first he flinched.

The presence immediately swam to help him, but Luke dismissed it. It wasn't dangerous, at least not towards him. Vader let go and watched Luke's presence fly away to the other side of the ship and cling into one small presence, barely visible, but pulsating with the Force.

Luke opened his eyes and gasped for air, falling to his knees. His senses were too sharp and defined after drowning in the Force: the lights were too bright, the noise of the engines miles away suddenly beating inside his ears. 

Vader kneeled next to him, placing a hand on Luke's shaking back and sending calm waves at him. "How are you feeling?" asked Vader, helping Luke stand up. 

Luke blinked, his mind only focusing on where he had to go. He started walking down the corridors but a strong grip stopped him.

"Answer me."

Luke frowned. He didn't understand why that was important, he had to go where the Force was taking him, he didn't have time to–

"I have his location memorized, he is not going anywhere. Answer me, Luke."

Luke. 

That was his name.

He tried saying that he was okay, but the words came out mumbled. His tongue wasn't cooperating with his brain, and for some reason he didn't want to upset the man in front of him. He tried again, but only vowels came out. He frowned and wanted to walk away, but the man continued holding him in place. 

"You are experiencing transient aphasia, son. It is common, but you need to rest." said Vader. Luke managed to say No in Huttese, and tried to walk away, but Vader placed a hand on his forehead and Luke fell to the ground.

Vader carried him like a child back to his rooms and placed him on his bed, turned the lights off and closed the door.

If he remembered correctly, in a few hours Luke would feel better. He would _definitely_ have to face his son's anger for rendering him unconscious without his permission, but if Luke ignored his condition he would get a headache later.

Force knows that when he was a padawan he also over-extended himself and ended up without speech, or worse. His former Master had to use the Force to make him sleep, too.

He still had the location of the stormtrooper memorized, so he followed it, ignoring all the officers that clung to him like flies demanding to authorize procedures. He reached one small quarter that pulsated in the Force and scolded himself for not feeling the presence before.

He stood outside the room, concentrating on the presence and rendering it unconscious like he did to Luke. A few seconds after, the Force finally felt calm, and Vader let all his rage out now that he was sure Luke wouldn't feel it. 

His son was the brighest thing in his life, but Force help him. Parenting a force-sensitive child was hard.

* * *

Three hours later, Two woke up to a knock on the door and an anxious presence behind it. When Two didn't respond, still tired from his forced sleep, the door opened slowly and Luke entered the small quarters with a sheepish smile on his face. "It's me, Luke, from before, at the hangar's viewport. Sorry to intrude." 

Two stood in front of him, helmet on and saluting him militarily. 

Luke sighed and clicked his tongue. "There's no need for that. How are you feeling?" he asked, concerned. Luke woke up as if a speeder had run over him and had to verbally fight with his father to demand answers. When Vader said that he had done the same to Two, Luke practically sprinted to find him. Vader insisted on following him, but an angry glare from Luke was all it took to whoosh Vader away. 

"Good, sir. What brings you here, sir?"

Luke sighed loudly and sat on the bed opposite Two's. "Do you need to see a medic?"

Two frowned. "No, sir. What can I do for you?"

Luke flopped down to the bed with a groan. "Drop the sirs, please. I know you can't feel your limbs and you feel like floating. You got knocked out and just woke up, am I right?" he asked, but Two didn't answer, "Listen, I'm sorry. It's my fault, there's someone aboard who thinks _he is so very funny_ –" mocked Luke, and felt Vader protesting through the bond but angrily shushed him.

Two blinked slowly. The boy was so weird. "You're here now, sir. What did you want?"

Luke got up from the bed to stand in front of Two. "I'm leaving soon, today. I want you to come with me."

Two took a step back. "Sir, the answer is no."

"Please, listen to me– you can walk free. No one will know. You just have to say the word and the Empire won't hunt you down."

"That is impossible, sir. Only Lord Vader has the authority to do such things."

Luke bit his cheek to avoid smiling. "Let's just say I have my contacts. I'm leaving in a few hours, my ship is in the hangar," explained Luke, making a mental note to move the ship to the main hangar from Vader's, "I want you to come with me. Have you heard of Yavin 4?"

Two blinked. "No, sir."

Luke took a deep breath. "And of the Rebellion?"

Two's presence in the Force shifted. "You're a rebel?"

Luke swallowed. That was the question, wasn't it? It had haunted his dreams for the last month and a half. "Yes, I am, but you saw me walking around and no one pointed any weapons at me. I can be here. I have my contacts, remember?"

"A rebel isn't allowed in this ship."

"This isn't a ship, this is a prison, and you know it, Two. You've never even left! Don't you want to explore the galaxy?"

"No, I want you to leave. And the Rebellion has no use for a stormtrooper."

"But you're not just a stormtrooper, Two. You're a person with a beating heart and a soldier. The Rebellion is open for anyone to join, and despite what imperial propaganda says, we're not cruel. We have bases all around the galaxy, even on Hoth. Tell me, when was the last time someone in power acknowledged you were human?"

Two blinked. "This is a pointless question sir. Stormtroopers were raised to do one thing, and that is serving the Empire."

Luke wished that Leia was around now. She could convince anyone to do anything. "Do you know that we also have former stormtroopers?"

"What?"

"Stormtroopers that wanted a better life and switched to the Rebellion. They're still there, some are pilots, others prefer staying in battlefield. There's a place for anyone," explained Luke, and then leaned closer, "Do you know General Veers?"

"Of course, sir."

"His son Zev is with us. If someone as observed as the son of an Imperial General can leave, so can you." said Luke, and ignored that his own father outranked General Veers by a thousand. 

"And how is he, sir?"

Luke beamed. "Oh, he's brilliant! He works closely with other Generals for intel missions since he knows the Empire very well," he explained, guiltily digging his nails into the palm of his hand, "The son of someone powerful within the Empire is a great asset to us. I think he's happy."

"But I'm not the offspring of anyone powerful, sir."

"But you know the Empire better than others. We have stormtroopers of all kinds, Two. You can come with me and I'll introduce you to people and you can actually decide what you want to do with your life."

"And I won't be able to come back here, ever?"

Luke snorted. "Do you want to?"

"No, sir."

"Then it's settled!", exclaimed Luke with a smile, "I have to take care of some things first, but I'll find you when I'm ready to go."

"How will you find me, sir? Do you need my number?"

"What? No! The Force, remember? I can feel you."

Two nodded. "I don't know what that is, sir."

"I'll tell you on the way to Yavin."

"Yavin?"

"Yes, it's lovely. Anyway, I have to go, my– I'm wanted elsewhere."

Two nodded and watched Luke walk away in small jumps. For a rebel, he looked far too comfortable in an imperial flagship. On Lord Vader's flagship, of all cruisers!

The boy was crazy.

***

Vader was worried sick for Luke. He offered to accompany him to the rebel base, but Luke glared at him.

 _Right_. He still was Commander of the Imperial Fleet: his son couldn't bring him inside a rebel base.

Luke was adding fuel to the ship in Vader's hangar, and his father hovered near him like an anxious ghost. "They will harm you." said Vader.

"Why?" whispered Luke, avoiding rolling his eyes.

"What will you say to justify your disappearance for a month and a half? Someone in your position cannot afford to disappear without an explanation." said Vader.

"Sure thing, _General_." joked Luke, hoping to irritate his father, "Don't tell me you never disappeared for a break or two during the clone wars."

Vader clenched his jaw. "It is irresponsible to do so. I am certain even the Rebellion has its limits."

"You haven't answered my question."

Vader tapped his boots on the floor. "I most certainly did not take vacations."

Luke smirked. "Yes you did!"

"I did not–"

"Aw, come on! You were dating my mother, _and in secret._ Where did you go?"

Vader clenched his fists. "Stop intruding."

Luke stood up, still holding the fuel hose, offended. "Intruding?! That's my mother! Either way, you must have had some time off or you'd gone crazy!" exclaimed Luke, and watched his father cross his arms, "Nevermind, don't answer that."

Vader shook his head slowly. "You are an impossible child."

Luke smiled. "Yes, and this impossible child demands to know our location in order to set the navicomputer coordinates, my Lord."

Vader was torn between affection and anger. Nothing new. "We are reaching Devaron."

Luke supressed a curse. "That's so far from–" he stopped when he sensed Vader's attention, "From where I'm going."

"You can always stay, son."

"And do what, sleep? I'm needed, father. Duty calls."

"Terrorism is not duty."

"Aaaand there we go again. How I missed this," said Luke sarcastically, finishing fueling the ship, "Will you want it back?"

Vader scanned the ship up and down for a few seconds. "Yes."

"But you don't even–"

"Buy your own ship and then we will discuss what you can and cannot keep." said Vader, and Luke sighed, but Vader wasn't done with his questioning yet. "Are you certain the pirate has not told anyone of the nature of our relationship?"

Luke stopped and stared at the ground. He swallowed slowly, and Vader knew it was a touchy subject. "I don't know, I don't think so."

"Suppositions are not enough. I am already granting him a privilege by letting him walk free."

Luke exhaled loudly. "He hasn't, okay! He _wouldn't_ –"

"Why do you trust him?" asked Vader. Trust was a foreign word to him and meant nothing. Trust was the thin mask behind betrayal. 

"He's my friend and I trust him with my life." said Luke.

Vader walked closer to him. "Perhaps, but does he trust _you_?"

Luke stared at him and nodded absentmindedly. He didn't know what Han thought about him anymore. His perceptions were outdated by a month and a half.

Vader went still for a moment. "Very well, but I do not want to see him again."

Luke smirked. He knew Han wished the same. "Deal, but if you ever see him by accident promise me not to kill him." he said as a joke, but Vader didn't answer. "Father...?"

"I promise." reassured Vader, even if in his line of work a promise meant nothing. Everyone he ever cared about was dead, but if promises still meant something to his son, he would give him a hundred. 

Luke mentally ran through everything needed for take-off, and when he knew everything was ready, he turned to stand in front of his father. Vader looked at him, expecting another sarcastic comment, but nothing could have prepared him for what Luke did.

He froze.

Luke carefully wrapped his arms around his torso and nuzzled his head on his chest, and in the Force he flooded with gratitude and love. Vader shivered at the human contact as he always did in the rare occasions that Luke hugged him. He wrapped his arms around his son, careful not to touch him or else he'd break him. 

"I'm not going to break." mumbled Luke under his breath. 

Vader hugged him properly now, and the Force flooded the hangar like a tsunami. Hundreds of parsecs away, a star exploded. 

"Thank you."

 _For what?_ asked Vader through the bond, not wanting to use the vocoder so as not to startle Luke, who had been around enough bombs and battles to sleep around explosions.

"For everything."

_You're exaggerating, Luke. I haven't done anything._

"Your anything is more than enough for me. It always has been, father." mumbled Luke. He pulled out of the hug and turned around fast, pretending to remove the several hoses connected to the ship, but brought a hand to his eyes.

"Are you crying?" asked Vader, concerned.

Luke didn't turn around, just sniffled. "Skywalkers can't cry?"

He'd be surprised, thought Vader. "Turn around and look at me." he pleaded, and when Luke didn't turn around he added, "Please, son."

Luke turned around slowly, eyes wet. "I'm fine."

Vader gently put both hands on his shoulders. "We will see each other again. It is hardly the first time we part ways." he assured him and Luke nodded, avoiding eye contact. "I am proud of you. You are everything I ever wished for, minus the terrorism part."

"You too father, minus the fascism part." said Luke.

Vader smiled behind the mask but Luke felt it through the Force anyway. He squeezed his shoulders and urged him to go. 

Luke jogged towards the exit in small strides, and when he was at the door he looked one last time at his father. The menacing figure of Darth Vader stood still in the middle of an empty hangar, his mechanical breathing bouncing across the walls and echoing throughout the galaxy, and in that instant, Luke felt nothing else in his heart other than love. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 1) Luke, holding Two: I've only had Two for a day and a half but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this room and then myself.  
> Vader, sweating: He is right.
> 
> 2) I cried when they did. “You're all I have.” Anakin, why do you do this to me.
> 
> 3) I've only had aphasia once in my life and I am writing from experience, but if anyone suffers from it and thinks I got something wrong please tell me! Luke just over-extended his abilities. Vader should have done something to prevent it? You're so right. But Leia has the braincells in the family, and they all came from Padmé. 
> 
> 4) HUGS! All the hugs!!! Ahhh!! I noticed that when Vader gets sarcastic with Luke I'm writing his tcw banter-ish Anakin side. Isn't that lovely? 
> 
> 5) Whenever they speak through the bond I made up, totally ignoring how the Force works, I wanted Vader to drop his classic formal speech and use contractions for his verbs because he's inside his own head and doesn't have to speak like he just swallowed a course of Oxford English. 
> 
> 17/12/2020 update: I know it's been a while since I updated this, but I'm a bit stuck with this story at the moment. It will get finished though.


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